Would you change your fate?
by htoria
Summary: Robin and Regina's daughter is thrown back in a time portal to when they are trying to defeat the ice queen and their relationship is more fragile than ever. Can she help them without blowing her cover, or was this always her fate? Outlaw queen!
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! I know I have a one-shots story up, which I will be continuing, but this plot came into my head and just will not back down. I've got a real clear idea of where I want it to go, so I hope you all enjoy! This first little bit is cusping on M rating. **

"What time will Henry be home?" She heard him ask. His voice was slow, deeper than she'd heard it before as he looked down into her eyes. She grinned back at him.

"We have time," she said, adjusting her head slightly. Her hair was longer now than it had been in years and fell in soft waves over her shoulders. It caught easily between her neck and the sofa as she lay beneath him. He smiles playfully, catching her lips in his before slowly moving them down her neck. Her fingers move through his fair hair, biting her lip to stop herself from groaning at the feel of his stubble on her throat. This all feels too good. It's new and exciting and they've never gotten this far before and they're on the sofa in the middle of the day and she really should be doing work; but he makes her mind go fuzzy and her knees go weak and the thought of doing anything but what they are right now suddenly seems ridiculous.

She felt her body shiver as his hands make their way under her shirt, pulling it over her head with ease before bringing his kisses over her chest and down to her torso. She reached down and tugged the material still clinging to his top half, letting him know she needed to feel his skin on hers. He breathed out a chuckle before sitting up slightly and throwing the shirt behind him. They froze at the sound of a crash, he'd definitely just knocked something over. "Oops."

She giggled. Actually giggled, which she found weird, because she hadn't done that since she was little and even then it was only ever really her dad who could make her do so. Maybe Henry has made her produce that noise too at some point over the years. "Don't worry about it," she said, and brought his mouth back down to meet hers.

She wasn't sure how much time went by as they kissed and fumbled and tugged at each other's remaining clothes. Eventually her face felt too flushed and she pulled away, meeting his warm smile as he rubbed his nose against hers. She will never be as happy as she is right now, she decided, lying under his soft, warm body feeling her heart pound against her chest and staring into his blue eyes.

"I love you." The words escaped her mouth before she could swallow them back down. She was nervous and vulnerable now; suddenly aware that she was only wearing a bra and her jeans. She'd never said those words to him before.

She watched for his reaction. Watched as he pulled his face back from hers just slightly and a broad grin sprang onto his mouth. "I love you too," he said finally before brushing his lips against hers in a manner that seemed too gentle for his height and muscle.

She felt the heat between them begin to rise again, different this time though, because it wasn't just a physical longing she had anymore. They were in love with one another. She smiled through their kisses, completely lost in everything about him. Nothing could pull him from her embrace now, as their breathing got heavier and his hands grew more daring. Her eyes popped open when his fingers reach the band of her jeans and-

"MEREDITH LOCKSLEY!"

**Let me know what you all think! This is just a little teaser, the first chapter will be uploaded when i've proof-read and finalised everything!**


	2. Chapter One

Regina Locksley raked her hands through her hair and let out a sigh of frustration and exhaustion. This stupid fundraiser really would be the death of her. She swung round on her office chair and stared out at the town. Storybrooke it seemed, was content. Finally.

The whole Ice Queen fiasco had been the last major battle her little town had been faced with, and though a few more friends and foe had cropped up over the years, the residents of Storybrooke were at last at peace. She smiled warmly as the sun shone over the roof tops, only tearing herself away from the view when her phone buzzed.

_Are you alright? xx_

Regina couldn't help stroking the screen of her phone at her husbands text. Robin had a way of coming to her rescue at precisely the right moment whenever mayor duties made her nearly pull her hair out.

_No. This fundraiser will kill me. xx_

_Of all the things that have tried to take you down, I highly doubt one little party will do the trick! What time does Henry's flight get in? xxx_

_Ha ha, funny. He's due to land at 5, are you still okay to pick him up? xxx_

_Only if you do your wifely duties and have my dinner on the table for when we get home xxx_

_You're an asshole xx_

_I love you ;) xxxx_

Regina rolled her eyes despite the broad grin on her face. Stupid thief. She felt her heart almost burst in her chest; it had a tendency to do that most days now. She and Robin had most certainly been through their fair share of trials in the early stages of their relationship. The initial dislike in the Enchanted Forrest, the constant push and pull of feelings and personalities clashing, forgetting each other and falling in love with each other. By the time Marion had been brought back from the past, the pair already had 100 yeas worth of history between them. Her heart sunk slightly at the thought of Marion, and how understanding she had eventually been with the relationship between Regina and Robin. Her phone buzzed again, pulling Regina out of her thoughts. She cocked an eyebrow, because as much as she loved him, she still found him just as annoying as the day they had met.

"You know the word wife doesn't equal chef," she said as she answered.

"Regina?" Mary Margaret's voice met her ear.

"Oh, it's you. Sorry," she replied, not bothering to hide her disappointment. "What's up?"

"I'm just calling because Harrison's sick, I think you need to come and collect him."

Regina sighed. Her son had protested many times that morning he hadn't felt well, just as he did most mornings. She had sent him packing with the others on the bus despite his protests. Harrison had always hated school. A niggling guilt settled in her stomach, I guess this morning he really was telling the truth, she thought to herself. "Okay, thanks, tell him I'll be right there."

Twenty minutes later Regina had abandoned her workload and driven straight over to the school, where she was met by her former arch-nemesis and son, who looked small and pale and tired. Snow smiled sadly at her.

"I gave him something to try and settle his stomach." Regina nodded in gratitude to the teacher, wrapping her arms around Harrison. He was nine years old now, the image of Robin, and no matter how many times he claimed to be as brave as his brothers and father, he would always cry for his mother when he was sick. He cuddled into her and she kissed the top of his head.

"Mama I don't feel good," he said as he buried his head into her torso.

"I know baby, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. Why don't we get you home and into bed, huh?" He nodded solemnly, clearly feeling extremely sorry for himself.

"Maybe he's caught the same thing Meredith has?" Snow suggested, ruffling Harrison's hair.

"Meredith? Has she been sick too?" Regina looked towards her step-daughter with a frown. Meredith had felt fine this morning when they left.

"Oh," was the reply Regina was met with. Mary Margaret scrambled for her words, knowing she had just put her foot in it. "Well Mrs Potts may have mentioned she wasn't in class this morning but-"

"God give me strength," Regina said through gritted teeth. She looked down at her son. "I am going to kill your sister. That girl has skipped school for the last time! Will you please apologise to her teachers for me?" She asked Snow, who nodded with a sympathetic smile on her face, before grabbing her sons hand and hurrying off.

Regina's mood had darkened considerably by the time she pulled the car into the drive way. Forget the fundraiser, it would definitely be her daughter that would be the death of her, she decided. She sighed inwardly. The birth of her daughter was the absolute happiest day of her life, finally having a child she could call hers alone after so many years of turmoil. Blue had explained the reason Regina, who was sure she was barren, could get pregnant with Robin's child was because they were soulmates. Fated to be together in every way possible. She had vowed, the second Whale had placed Meredith in her arms, that they wouldn't have the same poisonous relationship she had had with Cora. That vow had been kept in perfect harmony over the years; until her precious daughter had reached her teens and the now 17 year old would push Regina's buttons in what seemed every way possible. "She's just a free spirit," Robin would tell his wife when things came to blows. He alone would be able to calm both of the Locksley women down before they got too heated. Maybe if she asked Henry to talk to her things would get easier? Her eldest son had always been able to get through to his little sister in a way no one else could. Except Robin, which was useless because his daughter could wrap him round her little finger.

Regina walked hand in hand with Harrison up to the house. She was cautious, and told her son to go straight up to his room when they got in. Getting home this early was sure to catch Meredith off guard, which Regina planned to use to her advantage. No one was supposed to get home on week days until after 5pm, it was now only just after midday and she just knew her daughter would be at home, almost hiding in plain site. She opened the door slowly, and looked around the hall as though something should be different. Nothing was out of place though, and Regina watched as Harrison walked tiredly up the stairs.

"I'll be right up," she said to him quietly, before turning the corner and heading to her living room.

The site that met her eyes made the blood drain from her face. There she was, her beautiful baby girl, lying half naked in the arms of none other than Neal freaking Nolan. Harrison's school bag dropped from her hand.

"MEREDITH LOCKSLEY!" She screeched, pulling the teens from their embrace so fast they knocked the sofa back.

"Mom!" Meredith yelled, horror in her eyes as she and Neal threw their clothes back on. "What are you doing home so early?!"

"What am I doing home?! What the hell are YOU doing home young lady?!"

"I... I just... Neal just drove me back because I forgot my homework," Regina snorted. Meredith was just about as good a liar as she was.

"And you were what, searching for it in his pants?!"

"MOM!" Her daughter whined in embarrassment.

"Mayor Locksley, let me explain," Neal finally spoke up. Regina turned towards the boy and folded her arms.

"No, you let ME explain Neal Nolan. You better get out of this house right now or I'll call your father down at the sheriff's station and report you for sexual harassment!" She wouldn't, not really, but there were times even now the Evil Queen in her liked to come forth and play.

"Mom! You can't!"

"Watch me!" And with that threat, Neal scarped faster than she'd ever seen him move out of the house. Mother and daughter stared at each other and Regina took the few seconds she had to truly appreciate her daughter's appearance. She really was the image of herself. Her dark hair was long, and cascaded down her back in soft waves, her skin was the exact same tone as Regina's, as was the shape of her face and the slender way she carried herself. Everything that was Regina was also her daughter, from the pout of her lips to the vein in her forehead. Everything, except her eyes, which were as blue as Robins but every bit as emotional as Regina's.

"I cannot believe you just did that!"

"Excuse me?! I've come home in the middle of the day to find not only have you skipped school _again, _you've also become the town harlet?! Just how else do you expect me to react, Meredith?!"

"I am NOT a harlet! Neal and I are in love!" Meredith cried. Regina snorted. "See?! I knew you'd laugh at me, that's why I never bothered to tell you! You never take anything I do seriously, mother. What was the point in telling you I was in love when I knew you would just tell me I was being stupid?!"

Regina closed her eyes and felt an ache in her chest at her daughter's words. Her voice softened. "I would never think you're stupid for being in love, Meredith. A little pissed off that it's with a Charming, maybe, but-"

"Why do you think I couldn't tell you? You're impossible to talk to," Regina heard her own voice in her daughter's words and snapped.

"How dare you. You haven't even given me a chance to listen to you before deciding how I"ll react. You think you can skip school without me finding out you are sorely mistaken, you foolish girl!"

"I love him," Meredith said, standing taller and halting her tears.

"This isn't about Neal, Meredith. This is about your attitude. You have pushed me too many times now young lady. I can't deal with you behaving this way anymore! You're the daughter of the mayor and a deputy, do you not see what this looks like?!"

"I don't care! It's my life, I can do whatever the hell I want!"

"No you can't! I'm your mother, show some respect! I haven't worked my ass off for you to squander the chances you've been given. You have no idea the lengths me and your father have gone to to keep you safe. I have NOT raised you to be-" Regina stopped her words instantly, looking down at the blue fire swirling slowly around her daughter's fists. She swallowed the anger raging inside her, it would do no good to blow the whole house apart with a magical battle ... at least not with Harrison still upstairs. "Meredith ... put out the fire. Now." She said quietly, more calmly than she thought it would come out.

"NO!" Meredith yelled, raising her hands. Regina sighed, bringing her finger and thumb to hold the bridge of her nose. Honestly, she really could do without having to redecorate the house again. If they were going to come to blows, Regina really wished it would be in the backyard at least. The slamming of the front door snapped her back to reality as her second eldest son entered the room.

"Hey, what are you doing ho-" Roland halted his words and looked between his mother and sister, eyebrows raised. "Erm... hey sis. Whachya doin?" Roland asked lightly, walking slowly until he stood directly between them. Regina said nothing as they both waited for Meredith to explain herself. She didn't, and instead extinguished the fire in her palms, threw her hands up in the air and stomped up the stairs past Harrison, who had re-emerged in his pj's. Regina and Roland exchanged a look. "Something I said?"

"Mama? You said you were coming," Harrison said.

"I know baby, I'm sorry I'll be right there," she said warmly as he plodded back upstairs. She turned to her son, who now stood a good foot taller than she.

"What the hell was that all about?" He asked.

"She skipped school again... I caught her on the sofa. With Neal," she shook her head and squeezed her eyes, attempting to eliminate the image from her memory.

"What?! Neal Nolan? I'm gonna kill that little punk," Roland replied, turning on his big brother mode. Regina had to smile. She and Robin spent a good majority of their time pulling Roland and Meredith apart from physical fights due to their constant bickering. Roland would usually come off worse, as Meredith would pull out magic on him at the last second, but he still teased her constantly.

"No, you're not. Please don't make my life more stressful than it already is, I'll talk to Mary Margaret," she said, finally putting down the car keys and pushing the sofa back to its original position. She sighed when she eyed a broken vase off the sideboard by the door. God only knows how that happened. She flicked her wrist and the vase reassembled in one easy motion. "Could you please go to the station and tell your father Harrison's sick?"

"Will do, mama bear," he said, giving her a swift kiss on the cheek and swanning back out the door. Regina sat down and put her head in her hands. She hated to fight with Meredith. Every time it happened she would be reminded of the strained relationship she had with Cora, and how messy that had all turned out. She had been such a sweet little girl, but as she had grown older, she had also grown more headstrong. "Just like her mother," Robin would always say. But a stubborn teenage girl coupled with magic almost as powerful as Rumplestiltskin's was a disastrous combination, as they now all knew. Meredith had been taught from the moment she could talk how to control her magic. Being the product of soulmates, and having a mother who was a powerful sorcerous made her stronger than anyone the Imp had ever encountered before. Robin hated it, Regina knew, and he had instilled a moral ground in their daughter so strong that she rarely ever used magic; not even to heal a cold. When she had reached her teens however, the control lessened, just slightly, and when she came to blows with her mother Meredith struggled to contain the power she held. Three times over four years their house had almost been blown to pieces, and it honestly frightened Regina that she would hurt someone accidentally. The last thing she wanted was for her daughter to hold the guilt of being responsible for someone's death. She sighed, the only thing that was making this day bearable was the fact that Henry would finally be home tonight. Regina stood, making a decision that she and Robin would sit down and talk with their daughter tonight, and made her way upstairs to care for her youngest child.

* * *

Meredith felt the tears fall none stop down her face. Stupid mother always thinking she knows best, well she does not, she thought, muttering curses under her breath as she stuffed random articles of clothing into a rucksack. She moved around her bedroom, grabbing anything she thought she may want.

The decision to run away was one she had been thinking of for some time. She had even discussed it with Neal on occasion, though he never seemed quite as up for it as she was. She couldn't live with her mother anymore, always telling her what to do and what not to do. Or with Roland, who wound her up so much she had honestly come close to turning him into a snail and stepping on him on more than one occasion. He always got his way, that stupid dimpled smile could wrap their mom round his finger so easily he could commit murder and she would still clap and congratulate him, Meredith was sure. As for Harrison, her annoying little brother was the baby of the family, and so had her parents attention more so than anything else. Henry was the only person she truly felt she could open up to, but he was away so much now she barely spoke to him. Her dad was too laid back, and would brush off her feelings whenever she tried to talk to him about anything. He would just say she was looking at the world through the eyes of a teenager, and would understand when she was older, or when she had children of her own. That he and her mom were just looking out for her best interest at heart and just wanted her to be happy. Except that couldn't possibly be true because Meredith was happiest when she had a bow in her hand, saddled to her horse galloping through the trees with Neal at her side. Who cared about school and grades and family reputations? They were Robin Hood and the Evil Queen, for gods sake. She knew it wasn't quite that easy, Storybrooke had grown over the years, and the real world had finally collided with the little town in Maine. The magic had to be contained and concealed from the 'normal folk', who actually had no idea their neighbors were in fact fairy tale characters. But it wouldn't change the fact that her parents didn't listen to what made her happy.

When she was little, Robin would take Meredith into the forrest and teach her how to hunt, how to use a bow and a sword. The times they spent laughing in the leaves on the floor were some of the happiest of her life, and Meredith struggled to locate where everything had gone wrong. She pulled her rucksack shut and threw it over her shoulders, threw her windows open and scaled down the side of the house with ease. Meredith hadn't got a clue where she was going, but started walking towards the forrest and away from the life she knew.

All of her life, people had told Meredith she was the product of true love. How her parents had a love story that rivaled that of Snow White and Prince Charming and how they were soulmates. Namely it was Tinkerbell who spouted this nonsense when she'd had one too many drinks at a party, or occasionally her parents would tell her the tale of how her dad had saved her mom from a flying monkey and they'd fallen for each other straight away. She always wished there was a way back to the Enchanted Forrest. Meredith was absolutely positive Henry knew of one, but refused to divulge the information to his little sister. The idea of living in a land where there grazed nothing but cottages and castles and endless woods, where Meredith could use her magic to her hearts desire and ride her horse all day long sounded like a far off dream.

Her mother often promised her that she understood. That she knew what it felt like not to have the life you wanted; but she had been a queen, just exactly how miserable could her life have been? Meredith knew she'd been broken hearted, she knew the whole story of how her mother had cast the dark curse through the manipulation of the Dark One, and how Emma had eventually broken the curse. Even with all that, why would dining on glorious food and having balls and beautiful jewels be something not to be desired? She could not wrap her head around it. Her mom would never understand what it felt like to want nothing but the wind in her hair and the strong muscles of a steed beneath her.

Meredith lost herself in thought for hours as she walked. It was only as the sun started to set and the sky turned a beautiful hue of purple and orange did she realise just how far she'd walked. No doubt everyone would be looking for her now, her dad and Roland and all of the Merry Men would be turning the woods upside down. Though, now she looked around and took in her surroundings, even Meredith couldn't place where she'd strolled off to. She had never in her life ventured this far into the forrest before.

Meredith threw her bag on the floor and sat heavily on a near by rock, resting her chin on her hands. Her feet throbbed as she lifted them from the ground slightly. She really should have worn her hiking boots, the leather ones on her feet now may have looked good, but did nothing to ease the ache in the arch of her feet. Maybe she should just go back? Maybe the hours she had been gone would have scared her mother into listening to her. Her father would find her soon enough anyway, and then she really would be in trouble.

Just as Meredith was about to give up and drag herself back towards the town, a noise caught her attention. Or rather, a lack of noise. She was in the middle of the woods, she should be hearing plenty of things; animals scurrying around, trees in the wind, leaves on the floor, but all of a sudden a silence pressed in around her that made Meredith uneasy. She wished she had brought her bow.

Suddenly, a light caught her eye and she spun quickly. A tiny creature made a sound she had never heard before. It was blue, and glowed with an ora she knew meant it was magical. Meredith couldn't describe the feeling she got when she looked at it. The nervousness she had felt disappeared, and she found herself walking towards the little thing hidden in the bushes. As she reached it, ten feet in front of her, another appeared. She followed them one by one as they popped up until she found herself in the middle of a clearing she had never before come across. A circle of large stones met her view, with a single cabin in the center of them.

The nerves settled back in her stomach as she frowned. Meredith was sure no one lived this far out in the woods. It couldn't be one of the towns folk, there was magic here for sure. She could feel it on her skin and in her veins. Why on earth had she left her phone at home? She turned quickly and broke into a run, following the exact path she had come from, but as she rounded a tight corner by some trees a few minutes later, Meredith found herself in the same clearing she had left.

Now she panicked. There was no way she had gone in a circle, she was too good of a tracker for that. Whomever this cabin belonged to wanted her there.

"Trying to run, my dear?" A voice startled her. She turned to see a tiny old woman standing far too close just behind her.

"Who are you?" She asked, trying not to show the fear she felt.

"Me? I'm but a humble old woman, my child. The question is, who are you?" Meredith frowned at her. "Tell me dear, why are you so far out in the forrest? No place for a young Princess," the woman cackled, showing her rotting teeth and Meredith forgot her manners and winced.

"So you do know who I am," was all she could think to reply with. When the little old lady didn't reply, she sighed and answered her question. "I ran away from home."

"Ran away from the Evil Queen, you mean?"

Yes, she thought initially, although the idea of somebody other than herself referring to her mother as the Evil Queen did not sit well with Meredith.

"I don't know what you want from me, but I really should be going," Meredith said, moving to get past the woman but finding herself unable to.

"What I want from you? The wisps lead you to me child, not the other way round,"

"Wisps?"

"You followed them. You know they say following a wisp can lead you to your destiny."

"Yeah well, they also say isolation can make you crazy. You should probably move closer towards the town, gain some social skills, you know. Get out of my way, lady." She snapped, trying once more to move past her when suddenly the woman gripped hold of Meredith's arm tighter then she thought she was capable. "Hey, get off me!"

"I can hear your mind, girl. You want me to change your fate," the woman's grip got tighter as the sky darkened around them and the loud squark of crows sang overhead.

"Let go of me!" she pleaded, trying to conjure anything she could think of to no avail. Why couldn't she- then it dawned on her. "You're a witch," she breathed.

"I'll make her understand, my dear. You'll see, after this, nothing will be the same."

The woman cracked her fingers and as Meredith shouted "NO!" at the top of her voice, a blinding light surrounded her, the grip on her arm loosened and everything went black.

**Wow okay so that was longer than I expected it to be, but it all just ran away with me and I got over excited! Some major hints in there as to who our heroine is! Obviously some little traditions have been changed, as per every OUAT story! Let me know what you guys think!**


	3. Chapter Two

Meredith groaned loudly as she tried to breath in. The force she had hit the ground with had knocked the wind right out of her. She would have broken a rib for sure if not for the rucksack that broke her fall. She lay there for a few moments trying to take in everything that had just happened. She was going to track down, find and string that stupid little witch up by her ankles and torture her until she was dead. Maybe she was more like her mother than she liked to admit. The image settled the rage she felt, and Meredith opened her eyes.

She was still in the forrest, but no where near the side she had wondered to earlier that day. An unease settled in her stomach; just what had the woman done? It was completely dark now, and a thousand stars in the blackest of skies blanketed the woods. She sat up slowly, wincing at the pain in her back as she moved. The tree directly in front of her was one she knew well; Henry had shown her the portal to the Enchanted Forrest where Emma had come through with Pinocchio as a baby many times. The little diner just off the highway was the nearest landmark she could think of. It would take her hours to trek back into town. She would have to just call her mother from the diner, swallow her pride and beg for forgiveness. And a ride.

Meredith shivered. It was cold; far too cold for the time of year and she noticed ice all over the ground she sat on. She frowned. It was September, why on earth had it snowed? Gingerly, she got up off the forrest floor and brushed the mud off of her jeans before pulling her leather jacket tighter around her body. She frowned at her surroundings; something definitely wasn't right, but started her walk towards the diner. She wouldn't get any explanations sitting in the middle of the woods by herself.

A short while later, Meredith found herself listening the blinds of the diner window clatter as she shut the door behind her. It was completely empty, save for a lone woman sitting behind the counter reading a novel. She threw it to one side and stood up in a huff when she saw Meredith enter, as though the girl had rudely interrupted a good part in her story. "What can I get you?"

"Oh, do you have a phone I could use by any chance?" Meredith asked politely.

"Sorry, pay phone's out of order, kid."

"Oh... erm, I really need to call my mom. Do you have a cell phone I could borrow? I can give you some change for the call?" She reach into her pocket and pulled out the few measly dollars she had. Meredith suddenly felt stupid, why on earth had she ran away from home with no phone, no bow and no money? The woman behind the counter sighed, but Meredith could see her take in the dirt on her clothes and the sorrow in her voice.

"Wait here," she said, moving into the kitchens to get hold of her phone.

"Thank you!" Meredith called after her. She leaned against the counter whilst she waited and took in her surroundings. Damn, this diner needing updating, she thought. There was a little TV in the corner that was easily 20 years old, and the tables and chairs were fraying and worn. Her eye caught the newspaper lying carelessly on the counter. She frowned at the headline. Since when did Barrack Obama get re-instated as president? His picture graced the page, but it was an old picture. The last photo Meredith had seen of the man he looked at least in his 60's. It was only when the date of the paper made her physically pull the thing towards her.

_11th May 2014_

"Here you go," the woman's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She slid the phone across the counter.

"Thanks... hey, do you have today's paper?" Meredith asked, and the woman frowned. She looked down at the date.

"That is today's."

"But... it says May 2014," Meredith started slowly.

"Yes, and?" The woman replied, frowning, and looked at Meredith as though she was crazy. She felt her heart drop suddenly and a queasiness settled in her stomach so heavy so clutched her t-shirt. The witch ... this is what she had done. She had sent her back in time. Meredith felt faint and walked backwards, knocking a chair over as she went. She barely registered the diner woman talking to her as she scrambled for the bathroom door.

Meredith emptied what little contents there was to her stomach and sat back against the door breathing heavily. Okay, she said to herself, don't panic. You've only been sent back in time, no big deal! 2014 ... what the hell was happening in Storybrooke 2014? It was a full two years before she was born, how the hell should she know what was happening?! People in the town had told her all sorts of stories about the adventures her family had faced.. but she'd never bothered to get the exact dates of Peter Pan and Tamara and Greg, of Zelena and The Ice queen and-

The Ice Queen. Well that would certainly explain the snow in the middle of spring, she thought, taking a deep breath and dragging herself off the floor. She looked into the dusty, cracked mirror that hung over the basin. Her skin looked sallow in the dull lights of the bathroom, and her hair hung limp, lacking its usual luster. Meredith took another deep breath before trying to work out her timeline in her head.

Her parent's got married 18 months before she was born, but they'd been together since Pan's curse had taken them all back to the Enchanted Forrest. They would definitely be together now. But what use was that? She couldn't exactly bang on the door and announce she was their daughter from the future and would they please help her get back home? No. That wouldn't work. Maybe Emma would help her... although she knew it had taken Emma years for her magic to be as powerful as it would have to be to help. Was Rumplestiltskin alive again yet? She frowned, trying to remember what Henry had told her. Had he died before or after the Ice Queen? No, it was Pan that killed him, that was definitely before. She groaned through gritted teeth and pressed the palms of her hands to her temples, feeling tears sting her eyes.

Meredith looked in the mirror once more and shook her head. No matter what she did, she couldn't set foot in Storybrooke without someone guessing she was related to Regina, they looked too much alike, and if the Queen thought there was another relative in town she would definitely ask questions.

A glamour spell. The thought popped into her head suddenly and Meredith felt hope. She took one more look in the mirror in front of her before waving her hand and watching a streak of blue magic cross over her.

She did everything she could to change. Her skin went paler, her face more heart shaped, her lips went smaller, her cheeks went rosier and finally, her hair grew wild. Meredith turned it as red and as curly as possible, like a mane that sat on her shoulders. It was weird. She had never done a glamour spell before, but knew it had worked as she looked down at the orange curls falling over her chest, and the skin on her hands was as white as Snow's. She nodded at her reflection, which to her hadn't actually changed from the mini-Evil-Queen image that always stared back at her, before yanking the door open and wondering back outside.

"What the-"

Shit. She'd completely forgotten about the diner woman. Meredith panicked. She had just walked into the bathroom looking like one girl and come out looking like someone completely different. She hurried towards the counter and the woman stepped backwards out of fear. Meredith leaned far over the worktop and blew magic at the diner worker. She looked dazed for a few seconds before shaking her head and blinking her eyes. "Yes, what can I get you?" She asked politely, and Meredith sighed in relief before shaking her head and making her way out of the diner towards the little town she called home.

* * *

By the time she reached Granny's, the clock tower was just striking 11pm. Meredith was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in her bed. Or at least take these stupid boots off her sore, blistered feet. The town was completely deserted, and Meredith felt her shoulders sag. Now what? She couldn't exactly swan into the diner in the middle of the night all by herself and order food she couldn't pay for. Not only would Granny kick her ass, everyone would want to know who she was. This couldn't be too long after the whole Zelena fiasco though, and she would hopefully be able to pass herself off as some poor peasant girl who hadn't been around for her moms curse.

Two figures suddenly caught her eye, and Meredith dived backwards to hide round the back of someone's pick up truck. Emma and Killian were walking down the middle of the road, seemingly arguing. Meredith strained her ears to catch some of their words as they walked past, completely unaware of their audience.

"I did tell you she wouldn't want to see you," Killian said.

"Yeah okay, I heard you the first ten times. I just ... I feel bad. I had no idea she was Robin's wife. And even if I did, do you really think I could have just left her there for Regina to execute her?" Emma replied. Meredith frowned. What was she talking about?

"I know love, but somehow I don't think saying sorry is going to help the situation any. Does it seem cold to you?" Killian asked, changing the subject.

Emma stopped walking and turned to the man beside her. Meredith held her breath, they were standing not five feet from her. "Did you see her face in there? She looked heartbroken," the blonde said, her voice full of emotion and sorrow. 'I have to fix this."

"How?" They continued to walk down the street and out of site.

Meredith stepped out from the truck and stared after them. Why were they talking about her mom like that? As far as she knew, Regina hadn't killed anybody since finally casting the dark curse all those years ago. A frustrating confusion set in over her. Maybe she had misunderstood some of the stories her family had told her growing up. She dropped her head in her hands. This was going to be so much more difficult without basic knowledge of what the hell was going on around her. Meredith let out a sigh and dropped her hands with a slap at her sides. Nothing in her head would work on such exhaustion. She had to find somewhere to sleep.

The clock tower caught her eye and a disdain settled in her chest. She loved camping as much as the next person, but the princess in her found the idea of actually sleeping rough unpleasant. She dropped her heavy rucksack off her shoulders and dragged it along the floor as she made her way, defeated, towards the tower. At least it would be some sort of shelter, she reasoned. The bag scuffed along the floor, jumping along the cracks in the sidewalk. Meredith was so lost in her own world she didn't see someone round the corner at precisely the same moment she reached it.

They collided.

"OUCH!" A voice yelled and a woman tumbled backwards holding her nose. Meredith stared wide eyed at the blonde.

"Tinkerbell," she breathed.

"Yes?" The fairy grunted, rubbing her face with a disgruntled frown on her pretty face. "Do I know you?"

Meredith froze, panic rising in her chest and she prayed her glamour spell was still in tact. This wouldn't be easy, lying was definitely not her strongest attribute. "Oh, no. I just ... I've heard of you, from... you know... back in the Enchanted Forrest," Meredith said, stringing together a jumble of words she prayed made sense. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Tinkerbell finally seemed to buy her story.

"Oh. Who are you?"

"I'm Mered- ... da. I'm Merida," Meredith replied with a forced smile, mentally smacking herself for nearly saying her name. Merida? What the hell kind of name was Merida?!

"Well, it's nice to meet you Merida. If you'll excuse me, I have to find the Mayor." Tinkbell nodded to her and scurried off, not giving Meredith a second glance. She felt her heart tug. She wanted so desperately to follow the fairy and talk to her mom, to ask for her advice on what to do. Her mother would definitely know what to do in this sort of situation. She always did. Meredith felt a twinge of guilt. How could she want her so much now after saying all of the horrible things she had said to her earlier?

Evantually, Meredith pulled her eyes away from the direction Tinkerbell had gone, and crossed the street to climb the clock tower. She zipped up her jacket as far as it would go and curled into a ball on the floor, her bag under her head, willing sleep to finally come.

Tomorrow would be the real challenge.

**I want to say a massive thank you for all of your reviews, follows and favourites! I really do appreciate them all! So now we know the heroine in my story is Merida. I don't know why, but her character just seems too perfect to not be Robin and Regina's daughter. She's the daughter of a proud queen, her father doesn't believe in magic, she has three brothers, she has a strained relationship with her mother and is bloody awesome at shooting a bow & arrow! I just couldn't resist! **

**I had one comment on how Regina and Meredith's argument in the previous chapter mirrored that of Elinor and Merida's from Brave. Thank you, I'm glad you noticed! I watched that and OUAT 1x18 The Stable Boy to take inspiration from the mother/daughter struggle Regina faced with Cora as well as Merida faced with Elinor. **

**Anyway, enough of my rambling! Hope you liked!**


	4. Chapter Three

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favourited! This chapter was meant to be uploaded earlier, but I got sucked into Brazil vs Germany and then realised this site was having a minor meltdown! Hope you enjoy this chapter anyway :)**

**I don't own them, except for Meredith. She's all mine :) **

The cold was the first thing she felt. It crept up her body like vines up a tower. Her limbs were stiff, and the tiny ball she had curled herself in had done nothing to shield her from the harsh weather outside.

The clock tower had been an awful idea.

Her skin felt like ice to the touch, the areas exposed to the cold stung painfully as she eventually braved moving. Meredith stared out at Storybrooke. Snow blanketed the town, covering the cars and the rooftops and the streets. She winced at the crack her back gave when she stretched, making a mental note to find somewhere comfier and warmer to sleep tonight. That's if her plan didn't work.

She had gone over and over it in her head as the night had drawn out. It was dangerous, and if she got caught there would be hell to pay, but Meredith knew the only possible chance she had of getting back home would be getting hold of Zelena's pendent, which currently lay in her mothers vault, and that was only one of the items she would need. She sighed. The rest were all just as tricky to get, and even then, she wasn't one hundred percent sure this would work. She went over the objects in her mind for the millionth time but the pendent and her grandmothers spell book would definitely be the most well protected. They also happened to be the two things she felt sure were essential if her spell was going to work without hurting anybody.

The grumble of her stomach pulled her out of her troubled thoughts. The tower told her it was 8:15am on the dot. Meredith swung her bag over her shoulder and made her way over to Granny's. Nothing would get done on an empty stomach.

But empty it stayed. She looked down at the menu as she shuffled herself onto a stool at the counter and felt defeated. She couldn't afford anything to eat. Her stomach gave another gurgle in protest, and saliva filled her mouth as Ruby walked past with a plate of bacon and eggs she set down in front of Leroy, who was sitting a few stools down from her. Oh how she longed for her mother's cooking. Meredith never really ate out anywhere, save for special occasions, Regina was too good a cook to bother paying for someone else to feed them. Every morning without fail, her mom would make a stack of pancakes and rations of bacon that sat on the kitchen counter for everyone to dig into as and when they were ready.

"What can I get for you?" Ruby's voice pulled her from her thoughts. The wolf had halted her conversation with Grumpy and moved over to serve her.

"Oh... erm," Meredith twiddled the menu in her hands before pulling the crumpled notes she had out of her pocket. Four dollars and ten cents. "I'll just have a hot cocoa, thank you." She handed over the money, somewhat begrudgingly.

"I haven't seen you around here before," Ruby said, smiling. Meredith drank in her appearance. Her hair was much longer here than the future, and she seemed to have a love of revealing clothing, but her eyes were every bit as kind and her smile every bit as beautiful. Meredith returned the smile as the wolf gently put down the mug of hot cocoa in front of her.

"No, you wouldn't have. I'm new to town," Meredith said before taking a gulp of her drink. It burnt the roof of her mouth off but she didn't care. She welcomed the heat, anything to warm her body after a night of sleeping in that stupid tower. She gave Ruby no more elaborations as to why she'd never been seen before, hoping Red would fill in the blanks for her. It worked like a charm.

"Escaped the first curse, huh?"

"Thankfully, yes."

"We got back here two weeks ago though, wher-" Ruby stopped mid sentence, and for a second Meredith panicked. "Oh, I get it. I'm sorry. Granny keeps telling me I need to be more tactful." Ruby said quietly, looking as though she'd put her foot in it.

"What do you mean?" Meredith asked.

"Don't worry, there are a few people here now that she turned into monkey's. I'm just glad you're all safe and got back to your original form. Thank god she's dead or you'd have been stuck like that forever!"

Meredith laughed, not because she found what Ruby had said remotely funny, but because the wolf had given her a perfect alibi as to her whereabouts. If anyone asked, Meredith would just say she escaped the first curse and then had had an unfortunate run in with the Wicked Witch that resulted her being turned into a flying monkey. She made a mental note to thank Ruby when she got back home, and continued to sip on her cocoa.

Despite the early hour, Granny's was very busy. Meredith looked round and noticed a few of the fairies sitting in a booth, Dr Whale was slurping on coffee staring intensely at his phone and Belle and Mr Gold were sat together in the window talking urgently in hushed voices.

"So you think this is Regina, then?" She heard Ruby say. Meredith dropped her head slightly, leaning both elbows on the counter and gently tucking her curls behind her ear in an attempt to eavesdrop on the conversation Ruby had just picked back up with Leroy.

"Well who else could it be? Robin Hoods wife comes to town and then suddenly we're living in Narnia? I'm telling you she's behind this," Grumpy replied, shoveling bacon into his mouth. Meredith frowned. Robin Hoods wife?

"Come on, Leroy. She wouldn't do this. Not now, she's changed," Ruby said sympathetically.

"You really think so? The only reason she joined forces with us in the Enchanted Forrest was because she wanted to take down The Wicked Witch. Well newsflash, sister, Zelena's dead. Now The Evil Queen's pissed at Emma, I wouldn't put anything past her."

"I guess... I kind of feel bad for her though. I didn't even know her and Robin were dating, I thought they hated each other?"

"That's what's so weird, they did hate each other back in our world. Maybe she put a spell on him!" Grumpy said slamming his fork down, as though he had just cracked some giant mystery.

"Without any of us noticing? I doubt it. And I don't think Regina's cast another curse either. Hell, Emma and Hook went through a time portal, it's no wonder the weather's a little funky."

Meredith got up and moved quickly out of the diner. She trudged carefully through the snow and towards the woods, her place of solace whenever she had to think. Emma and Killian and been through a time portal and brought her dads first wife back with them? Either she was in an entirely different universe or her parents had lied to her about their relationship. Meredith felt betrayed. Why hadn't they told her the truth? She knew next to nothing of Roland's mother, she had died long before Meredith had be born. At least... she thought she did. She shook her head. No, she definitely did. There was no way Roland wouldn't know of Marion if she was still alive.

It didn't sit well with Meredith that Leroy had been so quick to blame her mom for the weather, either. Obviously, she knew it was the Ice Queen who was responsible, but she darn't say that to anybody. The very last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself, but it didn't stop her wanting to hit the dwarf in the face in her mother's defense.

Meredith reached the edge of the forest, not too far from Storybrooke's graveyard and flung the loose strap of her bag over her other shoulder. She looked up at the tall tree she'd chosen to climb before conjuring a pair of gloves on her hands, which had turned stiff with cold. She grimaced. If her dad could see her now, using magic left, right and center he would be so disappointed, especially if he knew it was for something as trivial as clothing. The only reason Meredith refrained from using it more often was because of the look she would get from him. He would never actually say anything. He wouldn't tell her off or give her a lecture, but his eyes would scream with sorrow and failure; as though her magic was some how his fault. She swallowed the guilt that bubbled in her chest and gripped the branches, carefully placing each foot before she reached a thick branch near the top and straddled it.

The bark felt cold under her thighs, and Meredith had to balance herself carefully to make sure the ice didn't make her slip. She reached over and snapped a branch that fell just over her head off and brushed the white flakes away. Magic surged through her hands and into her finger tips as she ran her palms over the wood, watching as it her usual white and blue glow turned it into a beautiful, glossy black bow. She took her time conjuring arrows, feeling a twinge of nostalgia as she worked. It was stunning. She had carved a pattern through the wood that was worthy of her royal status and there were hints of gold in the etchings as it caught the light; but it wasn't her bow. It wasn't the bow her papa and Roland had taught her how to use, the one she had knocked her mother's favorite vase over with at thanksgiving when she was ten, or accidentally shot Little John with when she was thirteen. It wasn't a bow with scratches and scuffs, or faded varnish and a worn leather handle. It was stunning, in every way, yes. But it wasn't hers.

The movement of leaves and snow caught her ears, and Meredith swung her legs up, peering down carefully. Her heart stopped.

There she was.

Her mother.

Regina was shifting her weight side to side and rubbing her arms while she nuzzled her face as far into her scarf as it would go. She stood, all by herself, seemingly waiting for something, or someone. Meredith couldn't take her eyes off her. She was beautiful. Her raven hair stood out against the snow, slightly shorter now than Meredith knew, and her face was flushed with the bitter air that hit it. She looked younger, but no less regal, no less stunning, even with the strain she wore on her face. The only thing Meredith noticed was different was the content. The mother she knew wore a peaceful, content look on her face at almost every chance she got. But the woman standing beneath her looked tired and defeated, as though she had given up and accepted she would be sad for the rest of her days. She was so caught up in watching her mom she didn't hear a second person approach.

"I'm sorry, I came as soon as I could."

Meredith snapped her head round as her dads accent met her ears. Robin was quickly walking towards them. Her heart began to race and ache at the same time. She watched as Robin took hold of Regina's hand and moved quickly out of site of the graveyard. Meredith soundlessly turned her body to the opposite side of the tree.

They stayed silent for a few seconds, simply staring at each other. Robin still hadn't dropped her moms hand.

"Are you okay?" Regina finally asked.

Robin's face fell. "Honestly?" Regina nodded. "I don't know," he said, stepping closer to her. "Are you?"

"What do you think?"

"I'm sorry. I wanted to come to you last night but Marion-"

"Is back."

A silence fell on them. Meredith sat as still as a statue, so curious about what they were saying. Robin sighed and nodded. "Marion is back."

She watched as Regina broke eye contact, staring down at her feet. Meredith had never seen her mom look so small. "What does this mean?" She asked quietly, still not meeting his eyes. Robin brought his hand to her face and gently stroked her cheek.

"I love you," he said, and Regina looked back up in surprise. "But-"

"But." She breathed, smiling sadly and dropping her head on his chest. He wove his fingers through her hair.

"But I need to talk to Marion," he said, his mouth in her hair. He pulled her back slightly from his embrace without moving the hand on her head and looked into her eyes. "You have to understand, she thinks it's only been a few weeks since I last saw her."

Regina nodded, looking down at their fingers laced. She took a deep, shuddered breath and met his eyes once more. "It's okay. I get it, she's your wife." Meredith's heart dropped as she heard her mothers voice grow thick with emotion.

Robin pulled her into a loving embrace before letting his lips meet hers. Meredith, who was watching them as though they weren't actually her parents and instead an epic couple from some tragic romance movie, snapped back to reality and leaned back. To give them their private moment. To let them lose themselves in each other, but mainly, to ensure she didn't scar herself with the image of her parents making out.

But she lent back too far.

It happened in slow motion. The ice made her slip, and suddenly her stomach flipped as her body fell away from the branch. Meredith squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself as she hit the ground with a thud.

Her eyes watered as pain vibrated through her back and when she opened them, Regina and Robin were staring down at her, fingers still linked. Her dad moved first.

"Are you okay?!" He asked as he helped her stand up. She brushed the snow off her jeans and felt sick with panic.

"Oh my god, were you spying on us from up there?!" Her mother snapped.

"What! No! I'm sorry, I was already up there when you came, I ... I was hunting," Meredith rambled, holding her bow up innocently. Regina narrowed her eyes as Robin frowned.

"Hunting? For what?" Her mother's tone was sharp.

"Food." She answered simply, and the coldness in Regina's eyes slipped. Meredith used it to her advantage. "Two days ago I was a flying monkey, which quite frankly, sucked. When the curse finally broke and Zelena was defeated, I woke up in a completely different realm, all by myself. I don't have any money to buy the food in this world."

It had worked; she knew it. Regina's eyes softened and she looked over at Robin, who was busy admiring the bow in her hand.

"That's quite a fine weapon you have there. Where did you get it?"

"I found it in Zelena's things at the farmhouse," she replied quickly, getting used to making things up on the spot.

"Are you any good?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him. She grinned.

"I never miss," and he smiled at her.

"What's your name?" Regina chimed in.

"Merida." It felt weird, talking to her parents without actually talking to _them_. Like she was in some weird kind of dream she wasn't sure if she wanted to wake up from. It was nice, talking to them both without pressure or constantly worrying that what she might say would cause an argument. But Meredith also felt a niggle in her chest at the way her parents were looking at her. As though she was a stranger. The usual love that filled their eyes when they spoke to her was completely gone, and instead replaced by ones of curiosity and caution. She realised quickly she wasn't actually supposed to know who they were. "And who were you? Back in our world?"

"Robin of Locksley, at your service," he introduced, holding his hand out. Meredith shook it gingerly, then looked towards her mother who said nothing. Robin answered for her. "This is Queen Regina."

Regina watched Meredith like a hawk, presumably waiting for the reaction she was so often greeted with. "Your majesty," was all Meredith said, politely nodding. Her mother's eyebrows raised in surprise, but she nodded back all the same, suddenly standing tall, as though she had just remembered she was actually royalty.

"I prefer Regina," she said curtly.

"Regina," Meredith corrected, finding her moms name strange on her tongue.

"Well I'm not about to let an innocent soul go hungry. You are more than welcome to accompany me back to camp with the rest of the Merry Men. We can offer you food and shelter," Robin said, smiling kindly at his daughter. Meredith felt her heart sore.

"I would really appreciate that, thank you so much."

"It's my pleasure."

The silence that settled on the little family quickly turned awkward, and Meredith remembered she had interrupted a rather private moment for the couple. "I'll just wait for you over there? It was nice meeting, Regina." She smiled at her mother, who merely nodded back, her hands folded in front of her torso in a very professional manner. Robin smiled at her before placing a hand on the small of Regina's back and guiding her slightly further into the woods.

Five minutes later, Robin emerged alone and walked over to meet his daughter. Meredith was itching to know what had been said. Things had obviously been far more complicated for her parents than they'd let on. Meredith had always assumed her dad and Marion had separated long before even the first curse was cast, though that clearly wasn't the case at all. She decided to use the time she had with him as they walked to his camp wisely, and gather as much information as possible. She would need to make sure her parents stayed together.

Her life, quite literally, depended on it.

**Reviews make me happy :)**


	5. Chapter Four

They trudged through the snow in a comfortable silence. Meredith noted that actually the forest looked quite pretty as snow fell softly from the sky.

"So how are you holding up?" Her dad asked, "in this new realm? I imagine it's quite unsettling waking up in a strange place with no recollection as to how you've got there."

"You're right, it is strange. But I'm getting used to it," she answered quietly.

"One of my Merry Men was turned by her too. He tells me he has no memory of his time as her pet though. Have you managed to find your family yet?"

_Yes. _"No. I assume they're still back in the Enchanted Forest." The lie came with ease.

"That must be very hard," he said sympathetically.

Her heart sank. "You have no idea." She smiled sadly, fighting the tears that sprung to her eyes. Meredith wanted nothing more than to stop Robin in his tracks and snuggle into his teddybear embrace. No matter what mood or situation she had ever gotten herself into, she could always count on her dads hugs to make her feel better. He had a way of enveloping her; of squeezing her so tight she would struggle to breathe.. and there was no greater feeling in the world, as far as she was concerned.

A few more moments silence settled on them again, before Meredith found herself smirking. Twice now she had caught Robin's eyes on her bow. "Missing your bow?" She laughed.

"Is it that obvious?" He laughed back and pointed to the crossbow swung on his shoulder. "This one's just fine, but-"

"But there's nothing like your own bow," she smiled, finishing his sentence.

He smiled at her. "That one is beautiful. I'll admit I'm quite envious I never found it when we searched the farmhouse last week."

"Here," she said, stopping and pushing her weapon into his hand. "Try it out."

Robin's eyes lit up, and he ran his hands over the carvings on the wood. He placed the crossbow against a near by tree and brought his arms up, pressing the hilt of the arrow against his cheek bone and slowly pulling the wire back. Meredith watched in awe, as she always did whenever he shot an arrow. He aimed toward a thick tree trunk and calmly took a deep breath before releasing the stick. The wire sprang back and the arrow hit it's target exactly as it should. He smiled before handing it back to his daughter.

"It really is beautiful," he said simply. Meredith grinned before dragging another arrow out of the holder she had conjured earlier. She couldn't resist the opportunity to show off to her dad. She planted her feet and angled her shoulders as she brought the bow upright, straightening her elbow and narrowing her eyes.

She grinned before she let it go, and then let out a laugh as it split Robin's arrow right down the middle. Robin raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "You really don't miss, do you? Who taught you such skills?"

Meredith felt her smile falter, and a familiar tug came to her chest. "My father."

Robin looked at her sympathetically. "He was a very good teacher," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it lightly, before picking the crossbow back up and continuing the walk to the Merry Men's camp.

"He is," she said quietly, though she knew he hadn't heard. Meredith stared after him for a few seconds and then looked back at the arrows embedded in the tree before them. There had just been two whole minutes, the time it took two people to hit two arrows into one target, where she had almost convinced herself everything was okay. That he was just her dad, and they were just shooting arrows for fun in the woods. That soon they would stop and go back home and her mom would have dinner waiting for them on the table.

Longing and sorrow and self pity clawed their way into her heart and settled there. She felt her shoulders drop, and dragged the bow behind her as she took off to follow Robin.

* * *

If Meredith had spent the past day searching for home, she should have just come to the Merry Men's camp, she decided, smiling as they finally reached it. The only thing that was different was the tents; in her time they finally lived in cabins. Everything else was just as she had left it. Friar Tuck and Alan-a-Dale were throwing more wood onto the fire in the center of their makeshift homes while Little John comically waded through the snow and leaves, presumably searching for something. The rest of the men chuckled at the overgrown man as he lost his footing and collapsed in a heap on the ground. Robin rolled his eyes and smiled. A dark haired woman sat perched on the edge of a rock lovingly laughing at Meredith's uncle.

That had to be Marian. Meredith stared. She was pretty, _very _pretty; in a way that was kind and likable and gentle. She had a smile that went all the way to her eyes as she snuggled inside a man's coat that was ten times too big for her, and her nose was red from the cold that bit her at her skin.

"Okay, okay! You win!" Little John said as he rolled onto his side and heaved himself back off the floor. A child's giggle caught her ears, and Meredith felt her heart stop when she saw a small boy jump out from behind a tree.

"Roland," she breathed, not taking her eyes off her brother.

"PAPA! Papa, I won! I won!" He squealed, running and jumping into their fathers arms.

Robin laughed. "I'm very glad! It's about time someone taught Little John how to win without cheating!" He tickled his son before holding him tightly to his chest. He looked back at Meredith, who was so busy staring at her big-but-now-little brother she hadn't realised everyone was now staring at her. She smiled nervously.

"Men this is Merida. She was taken hostage by the Wicked Witch the same way John was. She'll be staying with us from now on," Robin said, putting Roland on the floor and guiding Meredith over to the fire. The Merry Men nodded and smiled, welcoming her to their group, but she ignored them all. She couldn't take her eyes off Roland. He was adorable, and while one part of her heart melted, the other cringed. If he ever knew she actually thought nice things about him he would never let her live it down. She smiled, watching him as he played merrily with Little John and Tuck.

Roland, it seemed, had just as much charisma as a child as he did from her time. His smile and those dimples, his big dark eyes and the thick wavy hair were enough to make anyone fall under a spell with him, even at this age. Meredith smirked, because where she came from Roland was twenty-three years old, and while he still had all of those things, he also had muscles and height and stubble, and a deep voice that seemed to make every girl in Storybrooke swoon, which drove both her and their mother insane.

The afternoon flew by. Meredith laughed and ate and threw snowballs with Roland and her dad while the rest of the Merry Men began a tournament with her bow and arrow. More than once she completely forgot the entire situation, until she looked round for Harrison and Henry, until she registered Roland was actually 4 years old and her father hadn't got a clue who she was, until she missed her mother so much her chest hurt; but mainly she realised this was all a lie whenever her eyes met Marian's.

Robin's wife attempted to make conversation with her a few times as the hours ticked by, complimenting her shooting skills and how good she was with Roland. Meredith would smile politely before moving away from the woman. It wasn't that she _wanted_ to be rude, but as nice as she may be her presence genuinely worried Meredith. Obviously, her dad would leave his wife and declare his love for her mother, wouldn't he? There was a niggling feeling growing in the pit of Meredith's stomach, what if she had changed something accidentally? What if her falling out that stupid tree messed up her parents fate?

She watched Marian like a hawk as the day went on, feeling an annoyance build in her chest whenever she touched her dad, be it a gentle hand on his or a loving stroke of his cheek. As darkness fell over the camp and the weather dropped even colder, Meredith had to stop herself from yanking Marian back by the hair and telling her not to touch things that belonged to other women; namely, her mother.

She knew none of this was this maiden's fault, she knew she was probably actually very nice, she knew all of her Merry Men loved Marian, but if Meredith didn't make sure she drove a wedge between Robin and his wife then she would very quickly cease to exist. Which would most definitely be a problem.

Meredith warmed her hands by the firelight as the last of the camp lay their heads down to rest, and soon only her and Robin remained awake.

"I want to thank you again for this, you're all too kind," she said, looking down at her ice cold breath as she talked.

"Nonsense, I wasn't about to let you starve," he smiled back, poking the firewood with a thin stick. "Or freeze, for that matter." He frowned up at the sky as snowflakes fell in flurries around them.

"The Queen would have," she chanced, staring at his reaction to her words curiously.

Robin sighed. "Regina is ... complicated."

"I bet." A silence fell on the pair once more before Meredith finally took a breath in and dared the question she'd been longing to ask all afternoon. "Does Marian know about the two of you?"

Robin looked up in surprise, and Meredith hoped she looked kind and inviting, as opposed to nosey. Her dad looked back into the flames and shook his head slightly.

"Not yet, no."

"You must feel very overwhelmed ... about her being back," Meredith said, more as a statement than a question. Because as much as she had taken a disliking to his wife, she still felt her heart ache for Robin's turmoil. She had caught a sadness in his eyes more than once that afternoon when Marian was near.

"That's certainly one way of putting it. I am so happy, for her and for Roland. I'm happy she isn't dead, but-"

"But you're in love with Regina."

"I love Marian." Robin said firmly, and Meredith couldn't help the sad smile that tugged at her mouth.

"I have no doubt you love her very much. But someone told me once that loving someone and being in love with someone are two very different things." It felt strange talking to her father in such a way.

"Wise words," he noted. Wise words indeed, words he himself had actually told a seven year old Meredith when she wondered out loud why he and Roland's mommy weren't married when she went to heaven. "You're very wise for such a young soul."

"I can't take credit for that bit of advice, unfortunately. That was something my father once told me."

"I'm beginning to like the sound of your father very much," he said breathing out a chuckle. She laughed at the irony.

"I think you two have more in common than any other people I know."

Robin smiled warmly at her before standing up. "If you'll excuse me, I'm afraid running after Roland tires me now more than it used to. Good night, Merida."

"Good night," she replied, watching as he made his way to the tent Roland and Marian were sleeping in. "Hey, Robin?" He stopped and looked back as she called his name. "Loving someone in_ any _way can hurt sometimes, but you're a good man. I know you'll do the right thing."

He smiled gratefully and moved into the tent. Meredith felt relieved, hopefully her little talk with him would push him to tell Marian about his relationship with Regina.

She waited at least one hour before she moved.

Meredith got up quietly and crept around the camp, double checking everyone was asleep before picking up her bow and tip-toeing away from the tents. Nerves settled in her stomach as she made her way towards Storybrooke Maine Street and she had to talk herself into her plan for the millionth time.

She had to get home. Her near miss with the tree and possibly ruining her parents make-up had made Meredith more wary of how her being here could change things. Henry had told her once that going back in time was forbidden in the laws of magic, and that doing even one small thing could change things in the future catastrophically. The butterfly effect, he called it.

The problem was, her plan was not fool proof. She knew the spell she needed was in Cora's spell book, and that the only way to see it through would be to get hold of that god ugly pendant her mother had shown her of Zelena's. But she had never harnessed other magic before and the spell in question was complicated, and dark.

Meredith had never used dark magic in her life. It made her wary. Her mother used to tell her when she was little she would look like a crocodile if she used dark magic, and that thought had horrified Meredith so much she didn't even touch her light magic for nearly a year. As she had grown up, Regina had begun to tell her some of the tales from the Enchanted Forest, and the idea that dark magic had ruined her mothers life so drastically made her more frightened of using it than the possibility of growing scales did.

But as she moved through the forrest and into the town, Meredith swallowed the bad feeling in her gut. If she was ever going to get home, dark magic would be the only way to do it without help, and getting hold of Cora's spell book was the first step in getting there.

She stopped as she reached it. Looking up at the building before her and taking a deep breath. She gripped her bow tightly before throwing it over her shoulder. She needed to steady her nerves, because tonight-

Tonight she would break in to Mr Gold's Pawn Shop.

* * *

**Domdomdommmm! So sorry this chapter took me longer to update, work's been manic. I will try and squeeze in one more chapter over the weekend and then i'm afraid I won't be able to update until the end of next week as i'm in London all week with work. **

**Thank you all so much again for all of your wonderful reviews, I really enjoy reading them! I hope you all like this chapter as much as the others; I find Robin harder to write as we haven't really seen the full potential of his character yet. And for the purpose of this story, can we just pretend Cora's spell book is in Gold's shop? I cannot for the life of me remember whether it ended up back with Regina or with him, but let's just pretend Gold has it!**

**Also throwing a question out there, would anyone like me to go back and forth between Meredith's POV and Robin/Regina's POV? (In this time; I will be going back to Meredith's present to see how Robin and Regina react to their daughter's disappearance but not for a while yet.) Let me know! **

**Reviews make me happy! x**


	6. Chapter Five

Robin Hood had always been an excellent sleeper. His ability to fall asleep with ease under any circumstance was something the other Merry Men had always envied. No matter what weather conditions they endured, or how many officials they ran from, Robin would fall to sleep with an ease most would could not. But tonight, tonight he could not drift off for the life of him. He guessed around one hour had passed since he had left their new addition, Merida, by the fire's light and he'd dropped down in a heap beside Marian, who was clutching Roland against her chest as they slept.

He stared at his wife for a long while, watching her breathe in and out as though it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever witnessed, because despite the mess her return may have caused, he would never be anything but grateful that she was no longer dead. Roland had his mother back, he had his Marian back, and their family was whole once more. As he watched her, Robin's thoughts wondered back to the words Merida had spoken. "Loving someone and being in love with someone are very different things." He sighed heavily. Was he in love with the dark haired beauty lying by his side? He had been, once, he mused. Once, she had been the very reason of his existence, she had been as essential to him as the air he breathed or the clothes on his back. Robin thought back to the time he had risked not only his own life, but the lives of all the Merry Men to get his beautiful wife back from the Sheriff or Nottingham without a second thought, and it wasn't lost on him that there was now a second woman he would do that for without hesitation. Because even if he felt conflicted about the feelings he had for his wife, there was no shadow of doubt in his heart that he was in love with Regina. He sighed again and rubbed his tired eyes.

"Can't sleep?" Her voice met his ears, and he was still getting used to the miracle that he was able to hear it again. He smiled down at her, but knew it didn't quite reach his eyes. As though he was doing it out of politeness as opposed to actually wanting to.

"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to wake you," he said quietly.

"It's fine," she said, sitting up gently as so not to knock Roland. Robin breathed out a chuckle, because his son was just like him, and could most certainly sleep through an atomic bomb and still not rouse. "Are you okay? You've been quiet all evening."

"I'm fine."

"It must feel strange for you, being with me again after all this time. I've wanted to talk to you all day, but we haven't really had any time alone," Marian said softly, and Robin felt guilt tug at his heart. She hasn't spoken to him alone all day because he had purposely avoided the situation, had purposely avoided the conversation he was about to have. In short, he had been a coward.

"I am nothing but grateful that Emma brought you back here. Roland will get to grow up with you in his life now. That isn't lost on me, Marian." He was looking down at his hands, knowing he would get his words out easier without seeing the inevitable hurt in her eyes.

"It was lucky she was put in the dungeon next to mine."

"Dungeon?" Robin frowned. "I thought Emma saved you from black knights?"

"No, Emma saw me get taken by black knights. She got us out of the dungeons at the palace. The Queen was to execute us the following day. If not for Emma, I would be dead."

He felt sick, and closed his eyes as a sadness washed over him. Regina had killed her. In their original timeline, Regina had been the one to take his love away and send him into a deep hole of despair and grief. He had always thought black knights had murdered Marian after he had insisted they help hide Snow White in the outskirts of Sherwood Forest. It had never once occurred to him that the Evil Queen herself had carried out the act. "Regina was going to kill you?" He asked slowly, finally meeting her eyes. She nodded.

"She told the villagers she would make an example of me." Her words made him move quickly. "Robin, where are you going? Robin!"

"I have to go and do something," was all he said as he exited the tent and headed towards Regina's.

* * *

Regina woke to a banging on her front door. She frowned, and rolled over to meet the glowing green digits on her clock.

2:02am

Who on earth was calling at this time? She sighed audibly and threw the covers back, getting a niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach that something bad would definitely greet her when she answered the door.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" She yelled as she made her way down the stairs, securing her bath robe around her. The knocking stopped instantly, and Regina felt her eyebrows raise when she opened the door to Robin. "Robin, what-"

"You killed her," he said, wearing a hardness in his eyes she had never been at the receiving end of before.

"What? What are you talking about? Come inside it's freezing," she frowned, the niggle in her stomach rising slowly. She reached out to pull him inside, but he didn't move as snow fell around them.

"Marian. You took her to your dungeons and had her executed."

Horror flooded her veins, and Regina felt goosebumps rise on her skin that had nothing to do with the icy temperature. "I... I..."

"She told me you locked her up because she helped Snow White. That if Emma hadn't saved her she would have been murdered. By you." She felt tears sting her eyes, and a lump rise in her throat.

"I am so sorry," she said quietly, looking deep into his eyes and praying he knew she meant every word. Robin's eyes softened, and a hurt look fell on his face. He moved past her quietly into the house. They stood awkwardly in her hallway for a moment, and Regina watched as Robin seemed to have an internal battle with himself. She tried her very best to hold it together, biting the inside of her cheek to stop the tears threatening to leak from her eyes.

"I knew who you were when we started this, Regina," he eventually said, sighing. As though he had been debating whether to yell at her or not. He reached out and took her hands in his, gently linking their fingers together. Regina moved towards him, their hips pressing against each other. One tear betrayed her, and Robin thumbed it away. "I am so angry with you," he whispered. "To find out that you're the person who took her away from me? It's a very cruel twist of fate."

A breath made her shudder, and Robin moved his hand into her hair. "I didn't know, I couldn't have known she was your wife."

"It wouldn't have stopped you, though. Even if I had found out and begged you to spare her. You wouldn't have stopped."

"No. I wouldn't have."

His forehead fell against hers. "It would be very hypocritical of me to hold you solely responsible for her death when I too have taken lives in the past."

She pulled her face back from his in surprise. "You ... you're forgiving me? Why?"

"Because I told you her death was my fault, and even if you were going to be the person to kill her, it doesn't hide the fact that it was me who agreed to cover Snow White's whereabouts in the first place. Marian would never have died if I hadn't insisted we help; she was just doing what I had told her to."

Regina felt her heart break. How on earth did she wind up the object of such a man's affection? She did not deserve his forgiveness, and yet here he was, openly telling her that no matter how angry he was, he still wouldn't hold her responsible. She let out a shaky breath in relief and snuggled into the crook of Robin's neck as he wrapped his arms around her. "I love you so much," she whispered, letting out a sob she couldn't hold back, and his arms tightening around her. Regina couldn't be sure how long the stayed like that, but when she pulled back she noticed the sadness still hadn't left Robin's eyes. "What is it?"

"I can't do this," he said, his voice barely audible.

"What?"

He shook his head and stepped away from her, leaving a draft to surround her and Regina had to wrap her arms around herself. "I'm sorry. I love you, but I can't, _we_ can't do this. Marian will never understand if I go back now and tell her that I'm in love with you despite the fact you murdered her. She would never accept my part in her death, only yours."

"So you're just going to leave me?" Regina said, outraged. She made no effort to hold back the tears that fell from her eyes in a continuos stream.

"I have to." He closed his eyes, forcing himself to say the words out loud, because Merida had been right, he _was_ a good man. "It's the right thing to do."

"This is what you came here for isn't it? Not to forgive me, but to tell me you don't have any intention of telling Marian about us like you promised me earlier."

"I had every intension of telling Marian about us until she told me you killed her. Regina, she will never let us be happy now, and I can't put Roland in the middle of all this."

"Just go," she said, darkly.

"Regina, please-"

"GO!" She yelled, pushing him backwards towards the door. His expression made the ache in her chest turn physical, and she made no attempt to stop the sobs wrack her body as she watched him turn and walk out of her house in silence, leaving her all alone.

* * *

Meredith took deep breaths to calm her nerves as she moved round the back of Gold's shop. The snow had started to fall heavier, and with any luck she prayed it would stop anybody seeing her break in. She cast a spell to cover the footprints she left behind and dropped down to her knees as she reached the back door.

It was dark at the back of the shop, and Meredith found she could hardly see her hand in front of her face. Bringing her hands carefully up to the lock, Meredith jimmied the handle with tools she had stolen from Little John eons ago. She felt a smile spring onto her face when the lock clicked as she needed it to, and despite the situation she was in, she felt proud. No one had ever taught her how to break in to anywhere, and Meredith decided it must just run in her blood.

She eased the door open slowly, wincing as it creaked, and closed it carefully behind her. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see Rumplestiltskin's shop hadn't changed one bit in the years from now until she knew him in the future. This shop had always frightened her as a child; always sensing a darkness within the very walls whenever her mother had brought her in here. Meredith had always sensed a darkness around the man himself, and even though he had never given her reason to dislike him, Meredith could never shake the weariness she felt when she was around him.

She moved cautiously, like a cat prowling its prey, being careful not to touch a thing until she reached the front of the shop. All of the trinkets and other hoarded items seemed to take on a sinister appearance in the dead of night, and Meredith suddenly felt very nervous. If he dared catch her in here she would be dead before even getting the chance to explain herself.

Her eyes settled on the large painting behind the counter, and Meredith eased herself over to it, gently prying the painting backwards to reveal the safe she knew lay behind it. She swallowed, almost cartoon-like, and grazed her hand across the lock. It glowed white for one second before gently swinging open, and Meredith quickly reached in and grabbed the book as soon as her eyes met it.

The second her fingers met the book's spine, everything changed.

She felt her body freeze into place and her hand glue itself to the book. Panic flooded her every fibre as she tried with all her mite to move. He had obviously placed a spell on the safe, and Meredith instinctively knew she maybe had three or four minutes to get out before he came and caught her. She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on her magic harder than she ever had in her life. Her light magic could break this spell, she just knew it. The only problem was that Meredith barely ever used her magic, and as controlled as she was at using it, it always took a lot out of her whenever she did use it. It was exhausting. She felt blood run from her nose as her body began to shake with the strength of her magic breaking through Rumple's spell. She took in a sharp breath when a bright white light burst from her fingers tips, and she could move again. Snatching the book from its home she ran round the back of the counter and moved to burst through the back door once more.

The bell of the shop's front door jingled, and fear made her freeze for a split second before she composed herself and willed her magic to make her invisible.

"Show yourself!" His voice commanded, and Meredith felt her blood run cold. It was so close she could hear him breathing, but her spell must have worked, because when she turned ever so slowly he was standing directly in front of her. She held her breath, rooted on the spot.

"I know someone's in here. There's no point running." He looked around, standing perfectly still not two feet from where she was. His eyes scanned the room, and Meredith felt panic rise as he moved his hand in front of himself. She could feel her spell leaving her body as his spell searched for anything magical in the room, and Meredith pressed her lips together as her body shook once more, desperately trying to hold onto her invisibility.

When nothing happened, she chanced opening her eyes, and felt her shoulders drop with relief when Rumple frowned and moved back out to the front of the shop. She moved back out the door so quickly she was surprised she didn't knock anything over. By the time she reached the edge of the woods, Meredith was so exhausted she felt her knees buckle, and dropped down into the snow. She took deep breaths, willing herself not to vomit. Never had she been so scared in her life, and somewhere in the back of her mind she made a mental note to ask her dad how on earth he did _that_ for a living once upon a time.

She sat for a few minutes, enjoying the ice cold air as it hit her lungs, when the snap of a branch made her spring back up. Through the snow she could make out a figure walking into the forest slowly. She frowned and moved behind a tree, shielding herself as she followed the man with her eyes. As he got closer she felt her eyebrows raise in surprise.

Her dad was walking quietly through the trees, looking as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Meredith frowned, wondering what he was doing up and about at 2:15am in the middle of a snow storm, but she felt too tired to wonder about it. She waited another long while before moving, before finally feeling confident enough that her legs would carry her back to the Merry Men's camp without giving way, and when she finally reached her little make shift bed, she collapsed in a heap, stuffing the spell book deep into her rucksack and cuddling it close to her chest.

Sleep fell over her instantly.

* * *

Something was ringing. It was annoying and loud and broke her dreamless sleep in a most careless way. Regina frowned as she cracked one eye open; the unwanted ring-ring-ring of her cell phone pulling her out of the comfort that was sleep. She groaned, burying her face in her pillow and willing whoever it was to go away. Because sleeping meant she wouldn't have to face the heart wrenching fact that Robin had left her. A lump rose in her throat again, but when the noise came twice more she swallowed her cries, threw her arm out from the covers and dragged the phone back to her ear.

"What?" She snapped, not bothering to look who was phoning her. Despite the fact it was now morning, Regina noted the sky was dark outside, and snow bucketed down from the thick clouds she could make out through a gap in her curtains. She squeezed her eyes shut again.

"You need to get over to Granny's." It was Gold.

"I don't_ need_ to do anything."

"My shop was broken into last night," he offered.

"So? How was that my problem?"

"It's your problem, dearie, because your mother's spell book was stolen."

**Hey lovely people! So very sorry it's taken me all week to update, I was on an intense 4 day job interview but i'm very pleased to say I got it! yay! I really really hope you like this chapter, I struggled writing it as it's sort of a bridge into the next part of the story. Also, first time I've written Regina/Robin POV in this timeline so fingers crossed I wrote them okay! **

**Reviews inspire me! **


	7. Chapter Six

Meredith felt her eyes sting with exhaustion as movement and voices roused her from the deep sleep she'd fallen into. She frowned, because not only was she beyond tired, she now also had a dull ache in her spine from the less than comfortable floor she'd been lying on through the night. She wrapped her scarf around her neck and zipped her jacket as far as it would go before throwing her rucksack on her back and making her way outside.

The Merry Men were, as far as she could tell, packing. "What's going on?" She asked Little John as he hoisted their tents into a pile in the middle of their clearing.

"We're moving out. Robin thinks it's gotten too cold out here for Roland."

"But ... where will we go?"

"Granny's. She said she has enough room for us if we don't mind sharing." Meredith nodded wordlessly as the men moved like a well-oiled machine around her. John looked up and caught her expression. "Don't worry, we won't make you stay with any of us great oafs. Marian said she would be happy to share with you until we arrange something more permanent."

It was meant as a good thing, she had to remind herself. They were the only two women in the camp, after all, but the idea of sharing close quarters with the maiden made Meredith feel more stressed than she already did. "Great," she said, forcing herself to smile as the woman in question appeared from her tent with Roland and Robin in toe.

"Good morning, Merida," Marian greeted, and Meredith found herself unable to do anything but nod and smile back at her. She caught Robin's eye briefly, and frowned. He looked just as exhausted as she felt.

"John I have to head over to Granny's early. The Dark One has just called needing my aid with something."

"Rumplestiltskin? Robin, is that safe?" Marian asked, worried. She placed her hand on his arm.

"It's fine. He said someone's broken in to his shop." Meredith felt her heart hit her diaphragm.

"Well it wasn't any of us!" John said quickly.

"He doesn't think it is, John, calm down. I'll meet you all at Granny's later," he said, moving away from Marian and strolling past Meredith without so much as a glance. He kneeled down to Roland's level, who was attempting to help Tuck roll up a sleeping bag. "Okay little man, I need you to stay here with Tuck and guard the camp. Can you do that?"

Roland, who looked as proud as punch that Robin had chosen him to see through such a task, nodded firmly. Robin smiled at her brother and ruffled his curls. She watched as he stalked off into the trees without another word.

She followed him without hesitation.

Meredith quickened her pace behind him, needing to think of an excuse as to why she would need to go with him. If they were going to be talking about her break in, she would absolutely _need_ to be in that meeting. The problem was she had never been allowed to their council meetings. Her parents had always had a strict no children policy in place whenever some big-bad threatened their town. It suddenly occurred to Meredith she wasn't being at all discreet in her trail of Robin; there was no way he didn't know he was being followed, and just as she was about to call out to him, someone beat her to it.

"Robin!"

Marian's voice hit her ears, and both she and Robin came to a halt. When he eventually turned around, he met Meredith's gaze with a confused expression before letting his eyes fall on his wife. "What are the two of you doing? Go back to camp."

"And let you face The Dark One all by yourself? I don't think so," Marian said.

"I won't be by myself, they're holding a council meeting. Everyone will be there."

"Well if everyone will be there, you'll have no argument to my attending."

Robin sighed heavily, hands on his hips as he debated pushing the matter further. "And what of you, Merida? What's your excuse?" He asked. Meredith looked innocently between the two of them.

"Me? I just thought I could walk with you to Granny's. I'm hungry," she replied lightly, praying they swallowed the lame excuse. Marian chuckled as Robin eyed her curiously. He nodded curtly before continuing through the woods. As he turned his back to her, Meredith felt her shoulders drop with relief and moved to catch up with them.

* * *

When they reached the diner, Meredith suddenly felt herself get nervous. What if Gold knew exactly who had broken in? She would just be walking straight into a trap to get caught. And why on earth had she decided to bring the stupid spell book with her? Was she honestly that much of an idiot? Meredith felt as though she might as well be wearing a neon sign that read "I DID IT" around her neck. She took deep breathes as Robin pulled open the door and stood back for Marian and Meredith to go ahead of him.

Eyes fell on the three the second the door shut behind them.

Snow, Charming, Gold, Belle, Emma and Hook all halted what they were doing and stared with bated breaths between the three of them, and her mother, who was standing with her arms folded in front of her leaning against the booth they had surrounded. She watched as Regina cast her eyes down and suddenly the tension in the air grew thick.

"Good, you're here," Gold said, interrupting the awkward moment. The moment everyone seemed to be aware of except Marian, who moved cautiously passed the imp to take a seat next to Mary Margaret in the booth. Robin stood next to his wife and opposite his girlfriend stiffly, and Meredith had to stop herself from cringing. She looked between them for a moment, trying to figure out what was different when a realization washed over her. Robin's face was set in pain, his mouth turned down and his shoulders drooped. Her mother, however, was the real give away. She looked pale and withdrawn, and despite her obvious best efforts, Meredith knew she had been crying. It wouldn't have been noticed by anyone else, she was sure, but the slight puffiness in her eyes and the way she refused to meet anyones gaze made Meredith sure Regina was trying to hold it together.

She frowned and grabbed hold of Robin's arm. "Do you mind if I talk to you for one second before we get started?" Meredith didn't bother waiting for a reply as she pulled him into the back room of Granny's. "What the hell have you done?" She demanded. Robin sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Robin, you look miserable! Regina looks as though she's heartbroken, don't tell me the two aren't connected! I saw you sneak out of the camp last night," she lied, "What the hell happened?"

"You were right, Merida. I had to do the right thing. Marian's my wife, I cannot just abandon her."

"You think I meant the right thing was staying with a woman you're not in love with?" She slapped a hand to her forehead. "My god, mom's right, you are annoying!"

She froze as the words fell out of her mouth, her heart stopping momentarily. "What?" Robin frowned, and Meredith let go of a breath when she saw he hadn't actually been listening to her, instead too busy lost in the repercussions of his actions.

"You have to fix this, Robin. You and Regina are meant to be, trust me."

"I wish it were that simple," he replied quietly, moving past her and back into the diner. She cursed and kicked the skirting board in frustration. This was not at all going well.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced," Snow smiled when Meredith returned to the group and kneeled next to Emma on the seat of the booth behind the table they surrounded. She smiled down at her teacher.

"This is Merida. She was one of Zelena's pets. She's been staying with the Merry Men," her mother's voice said.

"Oh my, well it's very lovely to meet you."

"It may well be lovely, but that doesn't explain what you're doing here," Regina asked, staring her daughter down with a hard gaze from across the table.

"I overheard that Mr Gold's shop was broken in to, I thought I may be of some assistance," she said, not once breaking her mom's eye contact. Regina cocked an eyebrow at her words, but didn't press the matter further.

"Do you have any idea who did this?" Emma asked Gold, who shot a look to Belle. The brunette sighed.

"Cora's spell book was stolen, and Rumple has a protection spell cast on the safe ever since Zelena managed to break in for the night-root. Whoever it was managed to conceal themselves when he got there."

"So they're powerful," Regina said.

Belle nodded. "And," she looked up at her husband who looked as though he needed to tell them something he didn't want to.

"And what?" Emma pressed.

"We think it might be a sorceress called Elsa."

"Who?" David frowned.

Gold sighed and finally spoke up. He placed a gentle hand on Belle's as he began his tale. "Many, many years ago, I was summoned to a realm named Arandelle. The townsfolk said that a witch had cast them into an eternal winter and needed my help in stopping her. When I went to her, it was obvious she had no control over her magic. She was frightened. To cut a very long story short, a man named Hans struck a deal with me. I concealed Elsa in an urn and held her in my vault at the castle."

The all stared at him in shock. "You're telling me you held a poor scared, girl captive for hundreds of years in a room with no way out because someone made a deal with you?" Snow said in horror.

"An eternal winter ... You think this is why the weather's turned like this?" Emma said, ignoring the story he'd told. Her face dropped and she met Hook's eyes. "That urn ... the urn you pick up in the vault, you don't think?"

"That you brought it back here with you? Yes. I do. And now I think unless we stop her she's going to freeze all of us." Gold implored.

"Freeze your ass, maybe. The rest of us haven't done anything to her," Regina said.

"This woman has no control whatsoever over her magic, I don't think it's going to matter if you're innocent or not."

"So you think she's the one who broke into your shop last night?" Robin asked, bringing their conversation full circle. Gold nodded and a silence fell on the group.

"We have to find her," Emma said after a short moment.

"How? We have no idea where she could be, and this storm won't help us any," David replied, nodding towards the window. Snow was falling heavily from thick grey clouds that blanketed the sky.

"The snow gets heavier the further into the forest you go. Perhaps she's taken up somewhere in the woods?" Robin offered.

Emma slid herself past Meredith at Robin's words. Killian, who was leaning on the table opposite the booth caught her arm with his hook. "And just where do you think you're going, love?"

"After her, we have to stop this weather," she said, looking at her love as though he was stupid.

"You can't go out there Emma, you heard Gold, she could really hurt you," Mary Margaret said, looking at her daughter with grave concern.

"I'll go." Regina's voice made the group round on her. Meredith suddenly felt sick. How would she stop her mom from going without blowing her cover? "She's powerful, so we can't send someone without magic. That rules out everyone here but me, Emma and Gold." She looked at Rumple. "You can't go because if she sees you she may blow this town to pieces, and we can't send you, dear savior, because as much as you'd like to think it, you aren't strong enough yet to go into full magical battle. That leaves me. I'll go and see if I can talk to her," her mother finished, and everyone stared at Regina. In awe or concern, Meredith couldn't figure out. She was just about to voice her opinion when her dad snorted, and an argument that played out like a tennis match unfolded between them.

"Over my dead body."

"Excuse me?"

"You're not going. You could get yourself killed, Regina."

"I don't see how that's any of your concern, _thief_."

"It bloody well is my concern. The answer's no."

"The answer is _no_? Just who the hell do you think you are, telling me what I can or can't do?"

"I think I'm the only person here who seems to give a damn about you."

"Could have fooled me."

"Don't start acting like a child. You know as well as anybody here this witch could hurt you."

"I'm strong enough, I can protect myself just fine without concern from the likes of you!"

"You're honestly going to start with this again? You have a complex about your magic, Regina. Just because you're strong doesn't mean your invincible, for christ's sake!"

Everyone watched as the two got closer to each other's faces during the heated debate, their eyes swinging back and forth between Robin and Regina. Meredith glanced down at Marian, who was looking at Robin with a deep frown on her face. Meredith felt bad for her quite unexpectedly. As much as she needed her parents together, she felt it was unfair for Marian to figure their relationship out during what could only be described as a lover's quarrel. She felt an unease in her stomach, if Robin carried on demanding she stay put, she knew her mother would go into the forest out of sheer stubbornness. The pair were now standing head on, with square shoulders and stern looks, and although Robin's height towered her mother (who wasn't wearing heels), the Queen held her own against him.

"You don't get to tell me what to do anymore, Robin Hood."

"And what exactly am I supposed to tell Henry when we find you frozen solid in three days time and we're no better off, hm? What am I supposed to tell Roland?"

"Don't you dare bring the children into this, I'm trying to do what's best for everyone. We can't just sit back and let the winter get worse, can we?!"

"I said, NO! End of discussion!" Robin yelled, and just when Meredith thought the tension in the air couldn't get thicker, it did. No on moved, and it occurred to Meredith they had probably never heard her dad yell before; it wasn't something he did often. Regina cocked an eyebrow at him with a murderous look on her face.

"Alright guys, why don't we just calm down?" Mary Margaret said, attempting to pull them back to reality.

It didn't work.

Meredith watched as Regina brought her hands in front of her face in one swift movement, and she reached forward in a pathetic attempt to stop her mother. Robin, however, saw her move and grabbed Regina's arm so quickly Meredith almost didn't catch him lunge forward. Purple smoke engulfed the spot they had been standing on, and when it cleared, the council did nothing but stare at the empty space the pair had left behind.

Great, Meredith thought to herself. Now where had they gone?

* * *

**Nice quick update for you guys! Next chapter will go back to Regina/Robin POV. Hope you like! Thank you all again for all the reviews, follows and faves. It's so humbling to know people are enjoying the story!**


	8. Chapter Seven

**I warn all of you now that I changed this story to M rated, specifically for this chapter. I don't know what happened, I began to write the words and it just sort of fell out of my head and onto the screen. There is smut, don't say you haven't been warned! All mistakes are mine (it's late and I was on a roll so apologizes for any word mishaps) and as much as I wish I did, I don't own them!**

The first thing she felt aware of was the cold. The second was the wind. The third was the snow as it hit her face from all directions. The last was his arm.

"What the hell did you do!?" He yelled at her, squinting his eyes through the weather and gripping her arm tighter.

"What did _I _do?! You weren't supposed to come with me, Robin! Why did you grab me?!"

"Because I was trying to stop you from coming here on your own, you insufferable woman!"

Regina moved closer towards him, despite his angry words and the fact that right now she was pretty sure she hated him, because she didn't want to lose him in the snow. And also, mainly, because it was god damn freezing, and she could barely see his face as the wind battered them.

The forest had taken on a new form, and instead of being the tranquil place she usually sort comfort from, it looked menacing and harsh. The trees and branches thrashed in the storm and the ground was completely blanketed in deep snow. Icicles hung in sharp angles from the branches, threatening to fall and pierce them at any moment. She hunched her shoulders in a pathetic attempt to keep her neck warmer.

Maybe this wasn't as good a plan as she had originally thought.

Not that she would tell Robin that.

"Now what?!" He had to shout, despite her closeness, because the wind howled as it whipped around them.

"We have to try and find Elsa!"

Regina hooked one arm through his and held the other out in front of her. If she could just get one fireball in her hand, they might've been able to stand the pressure of the cold as it hit their skin. She concentrated hard, willing flames to ignite from her finger tips, and a ball of heat appeared suddenly, warming her palm.

She was just about to smile at her work when as quickly as it erupted, it turned solid before her very eyes. Regina gaped, her fireball had just frozen.

"What was that?!" Robin asked.

"I don't ..." she frowned, repeating the spell and watching another ball of ice roll off her palm seconds later. She looked up and met his eyes, an edge of despair sinking in her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, held onto him tightly and willed them to appear back in Granny's.

Back at her house.

At the Charming's.

Her office.

Gold's shop.

Regina gritted her teeth and yelled out in frustration. She willed them to appear in every building she could think of back in the town, but nothing happened.

"My magic ... it-"

"It's what?"

"It's frozen! I can't use my magic!"

Robin stared at her in horror and anger at her words. She panicked then, taking shallow breaths hard and fast, whipping her head round in all directions. The snow was too thick in the air to see barely a hand in front of her face, let alone locate where they were. What the hell had she done? She swallowed a lump that rose in her throat as she thought of Henry, of what he would say when he realised how reckless she had been in coming up here, how stubborn she had been all because Robin had told her no. Now they were both going to freeze to death in the middle of nowhere and it would be all her fault. Robin moved from her side and suddenly she felt his hands cup her face. He stood, tall, in front of her and looked into her eyes.

"Calm down, Regina. Breathe." She felt her breath hitch, and tried to level it out, matching the slow, calm breaths he was taking for her. "Think about your spell. You don't know the vastness of these woods, you can't have really brought us to their heart. Where were you thinking of?"

She took a deep breath, never leaving his eyes. "I ... I was thinking of the trees.. the trees by the toll bridge, and-"

A light bulb snapped on in her mind.

"And Gold's cabin," she breathed, taking Robin's hand in hers and trudging through the snow. If she had managed to bring them to where she wanted, Gold's cabin would be a mere thirty second walk away from them. Robin squeezed her hand as she led the way, but his body stayed close to hers, his chest very nearly meeting her back more than once.

"There!" He yelled over her shoulder. She squinted, following his hand as he pointed. Sure enough, Regina could just about make out Gold's cabin lying in front of their path. Relief flooded her veins as she thought of the warmth and shelter it would offer.

Robin released her hand and moved in front of her as they reached the steps leading to its door. Regina swiped her hand in front of its lock.

"No, Regina, don't-"

But it was too late. Her magic froze the lock solid instead of opening it. She groaned, forgetting what this witch's powers were doing to her own. She kicked the wall next to the door hard. Robin watched her and sighed before thrusting his shoulder against the wood in an attempt to break it open.

If the circumstances had been any different, Regina might've told him she was impressed he did it in one fail swoop, and the door swung inwards as he barged against it. She slammed it shut behind them, holding it in place as Robin dragged a sideboard from its home and moved it in front of the door to keep it shut.

They stood for a few minutes peeling off their coats and scarves, which were now soaked through. Regina raked her hands through her hair, which was almost dripping wet from the tiny snowflakes that stood out against her raven locks. She ran her hands over her face, flicking away the water that fell into her palms from doing so. She frowned as she looked outside. The storm raged on, and the wind howled like a creature in pain. It was dark, too dark, and Regina had to remind herself it was still only morning.

An orange glow caught her eye, and when she turned back from the window, Robin was throwing bits of paper onto a fire.

"How did you get that started?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Living outside can come in handy from time to time."

She rolled her eyes, but helped him load the fireplace with anything she could see that would burn, or that Gold wouldn't miss. Even if they were trapped like it seemed, at least they could stay warm, she mused.

They stayed in a tense silence for at least thirty minutes, both too stubborn to actually begin talking like civil human beings. Regina was lying down in front of the fire with her fingers linked across her torso and her ankles crossed, enjoying the little warmth they had on her skin. She had tossed aside her coat, scarf and jumper as they drip dried on the sideboard by the door next to Robin's. He was sat leaning against the wall next to the fire resting his forearms on his knees, staring into space. Both now sat in thin t-shirts and damp jeans, not really warming up from their little fire and Regina noted how close they sat; if she shifted her foot one inch to the right she could kick his boots, but the distance between them still felt too far.

Regina turned her head to stare outside. The snow storm still hadn't let up, and she was beginning to think they would be here for a very long while. God knows what rescue mission the Charming's would be cooking up back at Granny's. She snorted, because it occurred to her she would actually rather stay trapped in a dingy cabin with her ex-boyfriend/soulmate/heartbreaker than admit she needed rescuing by _them_.

"Something funny?" His voice interrupted her musings. She snapped her head back and met his gaze.

"Not really," she replied, looking back up at the ceiling.

Robin sighed. "The storm doesn't look as though it's letting up," he offered. Regina frowned, was he actually making small talk about the weather? She shook her head in agreement and a silence settled on them once more.

Another few minutes passed before Regina could take it no more. She broke. "How did you know I was going to do that?" She asked, searching for his eyes.

"How did I know you were going to do what?"

"Transport myself here. You grabbed me so quickly, you couldn't have done that unless you knew what I was going to do," she said curiously.

He chuckled. "Obviously I know you better than you think. I knew you'd do it the second I forbid it. In hindsight I probably should have told you to go right ahead, then we'd still be back in the diner."

She kicked his boot and replied sarcastically. "Funny." He chuckled half heartedly in response and she smiled, despite herself, before looking back up at the ceiling. A shiver ran through her body unexpectedly, and she shuffled slightly closer towards the fire. She heard Robin sigh quietly, and then suddenly felt her body get pulled downwards.

Robin had gripped hold of Regina's ankles and tugged her towards him with strong arms, in one swift movement.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She yelled, throwing her arms out to the sides in an attempt to stop herself. She sat up and glared at him as he turned her round, putting his hands on her waist and dragged her towards him. She sat stiffly between his legs, with her back against his chest.

"You're cold."

"I am _not_."

"You really are a terrible liar, Regina," he said, closing his eyes and resting his head back against the wall.

She huffed. He was right, she _was_ cold, but hell if she was going to say it out loud. Instead, she relaxed back against him and rested her head on his chest, enjoying his warmth and the feel of his arms around her frame. Minutes ticked by slowly, and before she knew it Regina found herself absentmindedly walking her fingers back and forth up Robin's arms gently as they held her firmly close to him.

"How long do you think it will be before they find us?" She asked, breaking the silence and turning her head to look up at him.

He met her eyes. "I doubt they'll be able to venture out in this. But knowing Little John as I do, he'll be on our trail the second the snow stops."

"How will he know we're missing?"

"The Merry Men were on their way to Granny's when we left. It's too cold outside for Roland to stay in camp now," he said simple, resting his chin against her hair.

"Is there even enough room at Granny's?"

"Just about, if we share."

"Oh," Regina replied, continuing the circles her nails made through the hair on his arms. "Well ... If that's too uncomfortable for you all ... I mean, Henry's not at home now. I have plenty of rooms spare. If you need them." She frowned as she spoke, feeling very awkward at the unusual gesture she'd offered. He felt him smile behind her.

"That's very kind. I'll ask them when we get back. I imagine Merida may take you up on the offer, I don't think she was too keen on the idea of sharing."

Regina snorted. "Can't imagine why, Tuck's snoring is positively endearing at 2:45 in the morning." She smiled as she thought back to their nights in the castle during the missing year.

Robin barked out a laugh. "Actually none of us were going to be that cruel to her," he said, hesitating before speaking his next words. "Marian offered to share with her."

"Oh..."

He cleared his throat, choosing to brush over the mention of his wife's name. "I rather believe she took a shine to you yesterday."

"Who, Merida?" Regina asked, not hiding the surprise in her voice. "What makes you say that?"

"Just the impression I got. She asked about the two of us."

Regina sat forward and turned in his arms to stare at him. "You spoke about our relationship to her?" She cocked an eyebrow, awaiting his explanation.

"Not exactly. I think she sensed I was in sorts over Marian and told me I would do the right thing," he said.

"Are you actually telling me you broke up with me because a teenage girl told you to?!" Regina gaped at him.

"What? No! I rather think she was angry with me this morning when she realised what I did last night," he said, rubbing his face with his palms in exhaustion.

Regina frowned, trying to figure out why this stranger would be on her side after one brief, not so polite on Regina's part, encounter. "Well ... that makes two of us then," she said, getting up off the floor and moving to stand directly in front of the fire.

Robin sighed as he too moved off the floor. Regina cast her eyes down towards the flames as he stood directly in front of her.

"Please. Please, understand why I did this," he said sadly.

"I understand just fine. You can't put your child in the middle of the inevitable situation that would come about if you're wife finds out you're in love with the woman who almost murdered her." Regina's eyes didn't move as the flames danced.

"Right ..." Robin said.

"The problem with that being after our little ... _debate_ ... I highly doubt she's stupid enough to not have figured it out. So now what, Robin? The thing you were trying to prevent may have happened at your own doing." She looked up into his eyes, not bothering to fight the tears that threatened. "Will you still feel the same? If she understands, if she forgives you? Will you still not want to be with me?"

"It's not a case of me not wanting to be with you, Regina. I'm just ... I have to be respectful to Marian. She's Roland's mother, I can't act selfishly here. No matter how much I may want to."

Regina shook her head and pressed her lips together. An overwhelming feeling washed over her, and suddenly she realised she wasn't ready to give up on this. She couldn't go through the pain of losing another love, not when it had nearly killed her the first time round. The thought of Daniel and his last words sprang to her mind. "Love again," he had said.

And now she did, more deeply than she ever imagined she could. Robin was her light. He was her future and her ability to be good and her only chance at redemption, and in that moment she refused to let him walk away from her; from _them_.

"You and I are destined to be together," she said quietly, gripping his wrist and stroking his tattoo gently.

Her words struck him in a low blow, she could tell. He pulled his arm from her, brought his hand up to her face and raked his fingers through her hair. "Regina ... we _were_ together. Maybe ... maybe we've fulfilled our destinies."

She let go of an exasperated laugh as a tear escaped her eyes. "Do you feel fulfilled?" She wiped the wetness from her cheek quickly before stepping closer towards him. He never answered the question, and she placed her hands firmly either side of his face. "Do you want to know what I find so ... _unfair_ ... about all of this?"

He stared into her eyes. "What?"

"It's that ... despite _everything _we've been through; after everything that did or didn't happen in the Enchanted Forest and here now ... it's that we never actually got to be _together_. Not really."

He closed his eyes and sighed, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. Robin knew what she was talking about, what she longed for, because it was exactly what he longed for too.

A battle of heart and head raged inside him.

His head urged him to move back, to step away and breathe deep. His head screamed going there would be the beginning of the end and would only lead to bad things. His head thought of his wife; of the chance he would have danced with the devil himself for and how she was here with him again now. His head reminded him that he was good and righteous and honorable and that this was just wrong.

But his heart ... his heart hammered hard in his chest at how close she stood and how her smell intoxicated his senses. His heart pressed him to close the distance between them with the promise the hurt he was feeling would cease instantly. As would hers. His heart clawed and dragged its way back to the newfound home it had in her and whispered that _this_, in fact, was exactly what dancing with the devil felt like.

The temptation grew stronger as she stepped closer to him, and he felt her chest hit his. Regina angled her head slowly, searching for his lips, and a frustrated groan fell from her throat when he still didn't move.

Because if there was anything Robin Hood was, it was strong willed.

And then her nails dug into his hair.

And his will broke.

Regina groaned again as his lips crashed onto hers with a force she'd never felt from him before. She kissed him back hard, catching his bottom lip between her teeth and pulling it open for her tongue to dance with his. She pressed her hips against Robin's, longing to be closer, and he moved his hands down her body before gripping her thighs and picking her up.

She wrapper her legs around his waist as he walked them backwards and slammed her into the wall next the fireplace, which had long since ceased to be the main source of their warmth. It didn't hurt but she cried out all the same. Robin hands snaked their way under her shirt before yanking it over her head and moving his mouth down to her neck and chest. Regina raked her fingers through his hair, heaving her chest and grinding her hips against his. Her skin was on fire, and suddenly if it was possible they weren't close enough.

"Robin," she breathed, pulling his face to look at her.

Desire burned in his eyes and she bit her bottom lip in an unsuccessful attempt to stop herself from smiling. The dimples in his cheeks showed as he smiled back. He kissed her gently before pulling her away from the wall and walking them back to fireplace.

Robin lay her down so carefully she could well have been china. He stroked down her ribs and brought his lips to her torso as his hands met the button of her jeans. He pulled back quickly, turning to remove her boots and socks and then his own. She tugged at the hem of his shirt and he pulled it over his head at her request. She ran her hands up his arms and gripped his biceps as he moved his fingers to the edge of her jeans.

Regina closed her eyes and bit back a moan as he began undoing them, excruciatingly slowly. Robin smirked down at her when her body betrayed her mind and her back arched at his touch. He was going too slow, she decided, and Regina began to unbuckle his belt.

They both longed for the pace to quicken, but damp jeans were harder to remove than either wanted. Regina let out a laugh that lit up her face when she began to kick her legs as Robin tugged at the material hard.

He crawled over her body and rubbed his nose against hers when they were both eventually devoid of clothes. Regina hitched her legs up, stroking the skin on his muscled back with her feet and her knees aligned with his shoulders. His chest pressed against hers, and she sighed audibly at the tingling his skin on hers gave her. He kissed her, slowly, lovingly, and suddenly the urgency that they started with turned into tender caresses and soft moans. He worshipped every inch of her body as if he would never get the chance again, and finally gave in to her whimpers and entered her.

Regina lifted her head to bury it into the crook of his neck and she clawed her hand in his hair as they moved, together as one. Robin moved them quickly, pulling her up to straddle his lap and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, revelling in the feel of her breasts pressed up against his chest. He looked deep into her eyes as she ground her hips into his, slowly at first, enjoying his fullness inside of her and longing for him to be as deep as possible. She picked up the speed as he squeezed her cheeks and thighs, meeting her pace and Regina couldn't help but kiss him again.

She moaned into his mouth and dragged her nails down his back as she felt herself tense around him. She pulled back from his mouth and looked into his eyes. It took every inch of will power she had not to throw her had back and scream out when they both came, but it was worth it just for the feeling of his blue eyes boring into hers as ecstasy erupted through her body.

Never in her life had she felt so close, so connected to another soul. She thought back to two days prior, when he had returned her heart and she had planned out in her mind what they would do that night. She planned eating out at the diner before taking Roland back home and placing his exhausted little body in Henry's bed before she and Robin would make love all night long.

That had been her idea of their first time together.

Now, as she thought about how they were lying in an old, abandoned cabin in the middle of a snow storm, at a time neither were certain of where their relationship would take them, it occurred to Regina it didn't matter where or how it happened. They were soulmates, and if it happened on the comfiest, most regal of beds, or on the creaking floorboards of a wooden hut it would be no less incredible.

They fell asleep in front of the fire, with Regina lying on top of Robin and an old blanket she had chanced upon draped over their naked bodies. She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she eventually woke at the feeling of Robin stroking her hair softly.

She pressed a kiss to his chest before resting her chin there and looking up at him. "That was..."

He chuckled and leant forward, catching her lips with his before moving his hand down her back and tracing patterns on her spine. "It most certainly was," he agreed.

Regina smiled and rested her head back down, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat against her ear. "What happens now?" She asked, finally addressing the question neither had wanted to ask.

He sighed and looked up out the window. "It's not snowing as much. I think we'll manage it back into town now."

"That's not what I meant," she said quietly. And he knows it wasn't.

"Now ... now I must go and talk to Marian."

Regina nodded, feeling a pang of what she could only describe as guilt. "We don't have to do this right now," she said, looking up at him. "I mean, if she's upset or angry. I understand this is going to be difficult. I don't want Roland to get hurt, either."

"What are you saying?" He asked.

"I'm saying we'll be together ... eventually. If it will make the situation less ... _tense_ ... then, I'll wait."

Regina smiled down at him; he looked very surprised by her offer. She had surprised herself by saying it, but it was okay. She was content with the notion that he hadn't given up on her, that they would definitely be together one day. She wanted, _needed_, this to work, and if giving Robin the time he needed to set things straight with Marian was the only way to do it, then Regina knew she would happily oblige.

"You are incredible," was all he could say. He was in awe of her, of the patience and understanding she was willing to give him, and Robin felt his heart swell with how in love with Regina he actually was.

"I know!" She laughed and kissed his mouth, lightly and quick, as though it was already a habit.

"I'll talk to Marian when we get back. And when she's ... gotten her head around all of this, I promise with all my heart, we will be together."

She smiled into his kiss. Yes, she thought, we will _always_ be together.

**Yowza that was a long chapter! As much as I missed writing Meredith, I needed to put across what was happening with our favorite ship! Next will go back to Meredith's POV. Hit that review button folks, I love knowing what you all think, bad or (hopefully) good!**


	9. Chapter Eight

Robin yawned as he clicked the front door shut. The house was basking in sunlight and silence, and he walked through the rooms, checking in each for his wife. He had left the station early that day. Henry's flight got into Boston at 5 and he wanted to leave with time to get parked up before meeting him at baggage claim. He checked his watch again, making sure he had time to run in and see to Harrison before heading off to collect his step-son.

12:32pm.

He winced at his wrist, he was cutting it fine, and took the stairs two at a time to find Regina in their son's bedroom, lovingly stroking Harrison's hair as she sat on the edge of his bed.

"Hi little man," he said softly as he walked to meet them. He pressed a kiss to his wife's raven hair before placing his palm against his son's forehead. "Not feeling too great, huh?"

Harrison shook his head, eyes full of sorrow for himself. "I was sick at school," he informed his father.

"He's got a slight temperature, I'll keep an eye on it. Don't you have to get going soon?" Regina asked him. He nodded.

"I just thought I'd come back quickly first ... Roland said Meredith was driving you up the wall?" Robin said curiously. His son hadn't divulged the reason as to why they had fought again, though nowadays they didn't really need a real reason to kick up a fight. It broke his heart to watch Regina and Meredith struggle with their strong personalities and battle of wits, and he was often caught in the cross fire. What's more, he knew it broke Regina's heart too. She had confined her fears of them having a toxic relationship just as she did with Cora many times.

Regina sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. She planted a kiss on her son's head and ordered him to rest before Robin followed her out of Harrison's bedroom and into their own. She sat down heavily on the bed and kicked off her heels, flexed her ankles and raked her hands through her hair.

"She skipped school again today."

Robin's shoulders dropped with disappointment. "Did she say why this time?" He ventured.

"Oh I have a pretty good reason," Regina said, hesitating before saying her next words out loud. "I caught her and Neal Nolan half naked on the couch downstairs."

He felt the colour drain from his face, and he moved to sit next to Regina on the bed. "What?" How on earth was it possible his little girl was suddenly old enough to want to do _that_? He had guessed a while back she had a crush on the Charming boy; he was slightly older than Meredith and seemed to be every bit as appealing to the girls of Storybrooke as his father was. Robin squeezed his eyes and shook his head with a groan, and Regina chuckled by his side. She rubbed his back softly.

"Sorry pops, looks like our baby just grew up."

"And just when exactly did that happen?" He said, more as a statement than a question, shaking his head.

"Beats me."

"Where is she now?"

"Sulking," Regina replied, nodding towards the wall that lay opposite Meredith's bedroom.

Robin sighed heavily, and Regina let herself fall back on the bed with a huff. He watched as she rubbed her face, clearly exhausted with the whole situation. He reached back and thumbed her ribs gently. "I'll talk to her," he said, standing up.

"You have to get going though,"

"I have five minutes."

"I just don't want you to be late. Emma would never let me live it down," Regina said.

Robin snorted. "Emma won't care. And neither will Henry for that matter. Our parenting isn't a competition you know."

She sat up slightly, supporting herself with her elbows. "It is too."

Robin felt a smile spread across his face, despite himself, and he moved to lean over his wife, placed a hand either side of her torso and rubbed his nose against hers. "We'll be back with plenty of time for them to show up."

"Well she said they'd be docking around 9:00, so you're cutting it fine, Mr."

He chuckled and caught her lips between his. "Stop fretting."

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. I just want this weekend to be perfect."

"What makes you think it won't be?"

"I used to be the Evil Queen, Robin. That doesn't exactly scream mother-in-law of the year, does it?"

"Used to being the operative word there. She will love you."

Regina avoided his gaze quite suddenly, and her voice grew smaller and less sure. "I'm nervous."

"It will be fine, I promise. Henry seems so happy with her and you know what he's like, he wouldn't be bringing her home to meet us if he wasn't." He caught her lips in his once more, trying to snap her out of her worries. He smiled when she kissed him back, and moved his mouth from hers to meet her cheeks and nose and then finally her hair. "I'll go and talk to Meredith."

He knocked on his daughter's door quietly. "Meredith?"

Silence. Robin felt himself smirk, because no matter how much they argued , his daughter never seemed to except the fact she was exactly like her mother in every way. From her sarcastic responses right down to the stoney silence she could put them through whenever she didn't get her way. He knocked again.

"May I come in please? I just want to talk to you." He spoke louder that time.

Behind him, he was slightly aware of Regina making her way back downstairs. He caught sight of his watch and sighed. He really needed to leave now if he was going to beat traffic. He knocked one last time and before just opening the door uninvited.

His heart dropped at the emptiness that met his eyes, and despite the fact Meredith clearly wasn't in her room, he still looked around for her. He froze at the window, which was wide open, and then rushed downstairs.

Regina was rifling through their kitchen cabinets in order to make a light lunch for Harrison. She caught his gaze and stopped her movements when he reached the door.

"What's up?"

"Meredith's not in her room," he said, grabbing the phone off the receiver.

"What?!"

_"__Hello?"_

"Roland it's me. I'm going to need you to go and fetch your brother from the airport."

Roland groaned on the other end of the phone, and Robin saw Regina dialing their daughter's number on her cell phone.

_"__I've only just got the work, I'm on a double shift tonight."_

"Please, I need you to go. Your sister's decided tonight would be a good night to do a runner. I need to go and find her," he said sighing, trying desperately to ignore the niggling worry that spread through his body. She was fine, he was sure of it, but despite her many threats, she had never actually ran away from home before.

Roland sighed on the other end of the phone before finally agreeing. Regina was just leaving a message on Meredith's voicemail when Robin hung up.

"Meredith Locksley you are in a world of trouble! Get your ass back home this instant young lady!"

He snatched the phone from his wife's hand quickly, swatting her away when she protested. He finished the message for her, trying to resolve the situation calmly. "Meredith it's your father. Ignore your mother, you're not in trouble. Please come home, we're very worried about you."

He dropped the cell on the counter and caught Regina's glare. She was standing with one hand resting on the counter and the other on her hip. "Don't look at me like that Regina, she won't come home if she thinks she's in trouble."

"She IS in trouble! I don't care if she looks at you with big sad eyes this time Robin, she does not get to pull this crap, not this weekend. Not with everything going on around here! I am going to throttle her when she gets back!"

"Well that just sounds like a perfect way to resolve the situation, doesn't it?"

"Don't you dare defend her! She's a silly, spoilt little girl who needs to learn to grow up!"

"Regina, she's a good girl, you're just too angry to see it from any other perspective right now."

Regina pushed her way past Robin and into the front room, shouting as she went. "You're damn right I'm angry. Now go and find her!"

He shut his eyes and shook his head at the sound of a door slamming. On days like this, he really wished he wasn't the level head caught between two very stubborn, hot headed women. Particularly when they were both powerful sorceresses. He grabbed hold of the phone again, leaning on the kitchen island with both elbows.

"John it's me. Fancy a trip into the woods?"

He knew exactly where his daughter would have gone.

**Thank you all for the amazing response to this story! I'm blown away by the reviews you've all left, I love all the critique and praise alike, it's so humbling to know people are reading my story and, what's more, actually liking it! **

**This was just a quick chapter going back to Robin/Regina from Meredith's timeline. I'll be going back to Meredith in the next chapter because I actually miss her pretty bad lol! I just wanted to tease a little bit of what their lives are like in my version of the future. You will definitely be finding out more about that, and also what happens when they find out Meredith is actually missing, as opposed to just having ran away, just not yet ;)**

**As always, I don't own them. And hit that review button! Go on ... you know you want to, really. **


	10. Chapter Nine

Meredith sits against the side of the booth, watching the snow flurry in the wind and settle on the streets. The a-team, as she liked to think of the council, were still arguing as to whether to venture out and look for her parents. Meredith had long given up trying to convince them to let her go and search, none of them seemed to keen on the idea of sending the strange teenage girl into the woods in the middle of a storm. She had gritted her teeth and bared their doubt, despite being near one hundred percent sure she knew the woods better than any of them, and she would quite easily be able to defend herself against the Ice Queen Unfortunately for her, Meredith also knew she couldn't tell them that. And it was nearly killing her.

Marian had demanded an explanation when her mother's purple cloud had disappeared, and Meredith realised everyone was hesitant to offer one. She had sat and listened, curiously at first, drinking in Charming's words when he'd broken it to the maiden that Regina and Robin couldn't bare the sight of each other in the Enchanted Forest, but when they'd cast the curse and forgotten their lives, a relationship had blossomed despite all the odds. David spoke of his surprise at the pairing, Mary Margaret told him he was an idiot if he hadn't seen it coming all those months back, and Marian had been so devastated she had attempted to run back to the woods all alone. Emma had tried to calm her, managed to talk her into seeing the room Granny was giving them, and lead her upstairs.

A short while after their disappearing act, the Merry Men had turned up with Roland in toe, covered in snow. If she hadn't felt so stressed, Meredith would have laughed out loud at the sight of her uncle. John looked like the abominable snowman as he bounded through the door of Granny's, holding Roland in one arm and shaking his head so vigorously his hair whipped from side to side. Roland giggled as the snowflakes on John's beard fell onto his head.

"We came here at just the right time, men!" He had yelled, before looking around. "Where's Robin?" The council had stared at him, clearly at a loss of where to begin.

And when he was finally caught up to speed, Little John and the other Men were almost half way out the door before Emma had called them back. "Marian needs you," she had said, and it had been just the right sentence to get them to take pause.

"We will all go out and look for them," the savior had promised, "just as soon as it's safe enough to do so."

And now here they all were. The Merry Men had retreated to their rooms, John instantly going to comfort Marian, the council were sitting around trying to get more answers out of Gold, and Meredith moved to the window to wait.

Wait for her parents to get back.

Wait for the snow to stop.

Wait for an excuse not to sleep in the same room as Maid freaking Marian.

But mainly, wait for a clever idea to hit her as to how the hell she would get back home. She'd done nothing but wish and will and cry out for the time portal to open for her again since the second she arrived in this god forsaken year. She'd concocted a plan to reopen Zelena's portal, despite the obvious draw backs being she would need the pendent that seemed impossible to get and the fact she'd never used dark magic in her life.

The ache in her chest grew more every second. She missed her family, more than she would ever care to admit, and it was only now that she wasn't with them did Meredith begin seeing just how difficult she'd become in the past few years. The portal had given her the chance to realise she had acted like a brat. The only thing her mother wanted was for her to behave herself, behave respectfully and gracefully, (and probably try not to blow the house up again), and all Meredith had ever done was go in a strop, or yell, or throw random fire balls at her mom's apple tree. That last one probably hurt the most.

She didn't mean to, not really. Even in the seconds after an argument with Regina, she would always feel a niggle of guilt in her chest and a sting of tears in her eyes. She tried hard not to get emotional, but as far as Meredith was concerned, it just wasn't possible.

"You're your mother's daughter," her dad had told her once, not all that long ago. "You feel very ... passionately ... about things and sometimes all those feelings escalate into something you have next to no control over."

He had been talking of Regina's years as the Evil Queen. A shadow of the person she is now, and one that only gets mentioned every once in while. A sly comment from a passing stranger, a light joke from Snow White, or even a distant memory from the Queen herself. Meredith can't remember the last time anyone, other than Regina herself, referred to her mother as the _Evil_ Queen.

She can see more of her now. A darkness in her eyes and a lonely, cold ora around her body. This Regina is a ghost of the mother she's used to, and she has wanted nothing more than to hold her close and tell her everything will be okay in the end.

But she can't. And suddenly it hurt so much Meredith clutched a hand to her chest and took a deep breath, desperately trying to stop the tears from falling, fearing unwanted questions from the strangers sat on the other side of the diner. Because despite knowing them all her life, that's what they are to Meredith. Strangers.

Hours have gone by now, and the snow is letting up. Meredith wonders whether she should just get up and walk out. No one would notice she'd gone anywhere, and she could get to her parents in no time. She's just sliding out of the booth when she sees them.

A rush of emotions coarse through her, and Meredith has to stop herself from actually whooping. They look okay, she thinks, squinting through the snow.

Regina and Robin are walking side by side, close, but not quite touching. There's a casualness in the way they stroll, and she assumes this means they've made up.

"There you are!" Emma glares as they walk through the door. Meredith knows she isn't the only one to notice the ease now between them. The atmosphere has gone.

"Oh thank god you're back, we were so worried," Mary Margaret says.

"What happened out there?" David enquires. She catches a hustled look between the pair before Regina sits down.

"We didn't find her, the storm got too bad. But i'm absolutely positive she's up there."

"What makes you so sure? It was snowing just as bad here and we're nowhere near the woods."

"Because I can use my magic down here," Regina says heavily. Meredith frowns at her mother.

"What do you mean, 'down here'?" She asks and Regina meets her eyes.

"She can freeze magic. I couldn't do a thing up there. Even my fire turned to ice."

Gold snorts, more to himself than anyone else. "Something I could have told you, had you not been so quick to play the hero for the second time this week."

"Well then how the hell did you imprison her?! You're useless without you're magic!" Regina spits at the imp.

"I made a deal. With a woman none of you wish to ever come across, I can assure you."

"What kind of deal, Rumple?" Belle asks lightly.

"With who?" Emma interrupts. Meredith and Killian stand in silence next to Robin.

Gold sighs. "A witch. She had an issue with a king she needed my help with, and in return, she helped encase Elsa."

"But if Elsa can freeze magic how did this witch-"

Gold interrupts Emma before she can finish her sentence. "Because dearie, she was the original Ice Queen."

A grave silence settled on the group. Meredith feels panic rise in her chest, because this is the first time in her life she's ever felt so powerless. Rumplestiltskin had told her on more than one occasion she was one of the most powerful users of light magic he'd ever come across. Being born of soulmates and true love with a mother who had magic that was a force to be reckoned with made Meredith something of a rarity. Now here she was, in a time she was unable use her magic, in a time she needed it most and now she was being told some crazy ice bitch has the ability to freeze it?

She figures Regina has caught her looking so worried, because she pulls her to once side when the group regain their voices.

"Robin tells me you're not comfortable staying here?" Her mother asks, not a hint of warmth in her voice or concern in her eyes. Meredith is very suspicious Regina isn't asking out of the goodness of her heart.

"It will be fine I'm sure. I just don't know Marian very well," Meredith says, hoping she's covering the uncomforted tone in her voice.

"Well ... I have room at my house. If you don't feel like sharing a room with Marian. You can stay with me, it's no trouble."

She smiles at her mom, despite herself, finally finding a glimmer of the mother she knows. She nods gratefully. "I would love that, thank you."

**A/N: So glad you all liked my take on future Robin/Regina in the last chapter. Thank you all so much for the reviews and support! I love writing this story, it's beginning to take shape exactly how I wanted it to, I'm so excited to really get going with the next few chapters! **

**Just answering some questions I've been asked.**

**Anna Caskettshiper asked: Will Regina find out Merida stole the spell book?  
**_In short, the answer is yes, but how she finds out may surprise you. _

**Will Robin realize Merida is his daughter?  
**_Tricky for me to answer without giving anything away. At the moment he trusts Merida, unusually more so than other people he's met. _

**Isah Underhill: **_Your review made my heart melt, thank you! _


	11. Chapter Ten

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the very lovely DayDreamerKay, whose tweets I've seen about this fic make me smile so much! Hope this is long enough for you ;) **

**Don't own them. **

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Tinkerbell said a while later, leaning on the kitchen counter at Regina's house. She had given in to Robin's suggestion and invited Merida back to stay with her. The girl sat, a little nervously, opposite the fairy.

The Queen found herself looking back at her more than she should. Merida looked so small under her mane of red curls; she looked pale and tired, and clutched her rucksack to her torso as though it was some sort of comfort blanket. Regina had to keep reminding herself this girl was in a realm she had no clue of without a single member of her family. An emotion she could only akin to sympathy was niggling in her chest whenever her dark eyes caught the big blue ones of this teenager.

"Some jerk named Hans, made a deal with Rumplestiltskin to get rid of this Elsa girl so he could rule Arandelle in her stead?"

"Right," Regina nodded.

"But he couldn't stop her because her magic was too unpredictable?" Tinkerbell looked at though she was figuring out an impossible math problem. Regina watched her brow furrow as she concentrated on what she and Merida had told her after they'd got back from the diner. She'd left out the wild morning she'd spent with Robin; as much as she liked the fairy, her incessant squeals were something Regina really could have done without that morning.

Merida nodded. "He made a deal with the original Ice Queen and _she_ is the person who encased Elsa in the urn."

"But ... I thought Rumplestiltskin only made deals with people when they had something he wanted? What was the point in helping a snivelling rat like Hans if he had nothing to offer in return?"

Regina piped up. "Because the royals Hans came from were apparently notorious for collecting rare objects, and as far as I can make out, Blue hasn't always been the keeper of the black fairies wand."

"Hans had Black's wand?" Tink asked, shuddering as she said Black's name. Regina nodded. "So Gold wanted the wand but knew he wouldn't be able to trap Elsa without help, so ... he ... offered ..." The fairy looked at the two helplessly, utterly lost in the story Regina had only just told her. The Queen rolled her eyes.

"He sought out the original Ice Queen and offered her his help with an issue she was having with the king in the realm she was from."

"What kind of issue?" Tink frowned.

Regina shrugged. "Gold didn't say. He only told us that they were successful in trapping Elsa and that she's been in his vault for just over a hundred years."

A silence fell on the three, each of them lost in thought over the whole story. Regina rested her chin on her hands, matching Tink's lean against the counter. "There's still one thing I don't get though," Tinkerbell said.

"What's that?" Merida asked, a ghost of a smirk on her face as Regina rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, catching the redhead's gaze.

"Why is she hiding in the woods? Think about it, if someone you were more powerful than had managed to trap you in an urn for a hundred years, and you got free, what would be the first thing you'd do?"

Regina frowned. Now she mentioned it, Tink had a good point. "I'd go after them."

"Exactly. So ... why is it all we've been victim to is a little bit of snow?"

"Gold said she was frightened when he first confronted her ... maybe she's just scared he'll trap her again?" Merida offered.

"No," Regina said sharply as she straightened back up. "Tinkerbell's right. You've been nothing but consciousness with no company for a century? There's no way you wouldn't confront the person who put you there when you eventually got free."

"Maybe she's biding her time?" Merida said quietly.

Tinkerbell swallowed audibly. "Well ... that's not at all disconcerting." Regina looked at Tink gravely. "It's probably a good thing the Merry Men left the woods when they did. They may not be safe."

"The whole town may not be safe," Regina corrected, moving to the cabinets to pull out three glasses to go with the wine she had sitting on the counter top.

"Speaking of Merry Men," Tinkerbell started, not hiding the edge of excitement in her voice. Regina resisted the urge to roll her eyes for the third time. "What happened with you and Robin this morning?"

She feigned innocence and passed each of the girls a glass filled with deep red liquid. But before she could answer the fairy, Merida gave a quiet squeak to her left.

"Erm ... I don't think I'm old enough for this, am I?" She asked, picking up the wine and looking extremely worried.

Tinkerbell snorted. "How old are you?"

The girl hesitated. "I'm seventeen."

"You're from the Enchanted Forest, you can probably hold your liquor better than most twenty-one year olds in this realm can," Tink said taking a sip. Regina frowned at Merida, who continued to hold the glass uncomfortably.

"Merida, you can drink it if you want to." Regina eyed the redhead as she looked down at the glass and bit her bottom lip.

"Are you sure it's okay?"

She couldn't stop her eyes from rolling this time. "I'm not your mother. It's fine."

Merida's eyes widened before she quickly avoided her gaze, and Regina thought maybe this girl wasn't quite as comfortable living with the Evil Queen as she thought she was.

"So ...?" Tinkerbell pulled her from her thoughts as Merida took a sly sip of wine before setting it back down on the counter.

"So what?"

"You and Robin? What happened?!"

Regina sighed and grabbed Merida's wine from her, obviously this girl wasn't the drinking kind. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said to Tinkerbell as she poured the contents of Merida's glass into her own and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She placed it gently in front of the teenager, who smiled gratefully at her.

Tinkerbell scoffed. "Oh please! Marian made enough of a racket downstairs while I watched Neal and Henry for you all this morning. Tell me!"

She glared at the blonde, who was hanging on her every word.

"Erm, I don't think Regina feels like talking about it," Merida chimed in, looking a little stressed.

"She's right, I really don't." Regina folded her arms and tried to stare Tinkerbell down. The green fairy was leaning right in, her hands clasped as though she was preying, with a doe eyed expression on her face.

"You owe me," Tink finally said, clearly seeing she wouldn't get anywhere unless she pulled out the old 'I-lost-my-wings-because-of-you' card. Regina couldn't help but throw her head back in frustration.

"Oh god, fine! We slept together, okay? Happy now?"

* * *

Meredith mentally cringed at her mother's words. Staying with her was becoming increasingly more stressful by the second, she'd only been there twenty minutes and she'd already been subjected to what was happily now the single most embarrassing moment of her life. She really had not needed to know that while she was sat worrying about them being hurt all morning, they were actually ... she shuddered at the thought.

And then there'd been the wine. Meredith had froze when the glass had been set down in front of her. Only once in her whole life had she drank alcohol and that was only last year. Herself, Neal and a group of their friends had hoarded a crater of beer behind the bleachers at school, and Meredith had gotten so drunk she'd thrown up all over her shoes and Roland had to come and fetch her. The next morning, her mom had kicked her out of bed at the crack of dawn and made Meredith muck out the stables. Roland had sympathised, Harrison had yelled down her ear (making her head throb even more), and her parents had told her they were glad she felt so rough, because that meant she'd steer clear of the stuff for at least a little while longer.

Tinkerbell squealed at her mother's words, clapped her hands together and looked as though she might just burst. "I knew it! So how was it?!"

Meredith spluttered and coughed, the fairy asked the question at precisely the moment she'd sipped from her water bottle. "Tinkerbell!" She gaped at her aunt and the turned to Regina. "You don't have to answer that ... _really_."

"Are you kidding?" Regina scoffed at Tink, "this isn't a slumber party, I didn't invite you here to divulge in the details of my sex life." Tinkerbell opened her mouth to which Meredith watched her mother hold her hand up, silently commanding the fairy to stop talking. "You can't pull out the 'I-lost-my-wings' crap again, you've already used that card once today."

Tinkerbell's shoulders dropped, and she pouted and sighed heavily. Regina rolled her eyes and Meredith sent up a silent prayer of thanks her mother wasn't the type to gossip.

The afternoon passed quickly, Regina and Tink had spent their time exhausting every possible option to bring back the warmer weather and figure out just exactly what Elsa was up to. Emma called to ask Regina if Henry could stay at hers along with Tinkerbell because Granny's was fit to burst and there was only enough room for her and Hook at the Charming's loft. Meredith's heart soared at the chance to meet her eldest brother. It had been nearly two months since she'd seen him, and she missed him so much she would happily settle for seeing his thirteen year old self, even if he wouldn't have a clue who she was.

As the afternoon wore into the evening, Meredith excused herself from her mother and aunt. She wanted nothing more than to drown her body in a hot bubble bath and curl up in what promised to be the comfiest bed she'd seen since she'd arrived in this year. As she moved throughout the house, Meredith couldn't help but drink in her surroundings; she felt like she was walking in an alternate universe. Everything was the same in the house, from it's decor to the yard and yet there was an emptiness that clung to the walls and furniture that she was a stranger to. It felt too big, too cold, and nothing like home. She missed Harrison's school work, which should be plastered over the fridge, the scuff mark on the door frame in the dining room, where a fourteen year old Roland would try to show off to his friends and accidentally pierce an arrow in the wood, she missed Henry and Roland's graduation photos, which would stand pride of place on the mantel over the fire. Now Meredith thought about it, it was the lack of photo's that really made the house feel alien. Picture frames covered every surface in the home she had left behind. Her parents wedding, Roland's first day at school, their first family camping trip, the day they'd brought Harrison home from the hospital, Henry's twenty-first birthday party, the time her dad and Killian had taken all her brothers fishing with David and Neal ... her whole life was mapped out like a story board whenever she stepped into the hallway. As Meredith walked through it now, the walls looked bare.

As she reached the top of stairs, her eyes fell on the linen cupboard by the bathroom and Meredith's curiosity got the better of her. She reach over and pulled it open slowly, feeling her heart ache when she saw the little marks in a column etched along the wood. 'Henry aged _' started at the bottom, so close to the floor Meredith couldn't imagine him being so little. A glimmer of hope rushed through her, because even though she hadn't seen the loving mother she remembered, it was obvious she was still there from the way Regina had marked Henry's height as he grew up. Currently, they reached up to age ten and then stopped, but Meredith knew they started again from when Henry was fourteen, Roland's began when he was six. She had subconsciously memorized the back of this door so many times over the years, forever groaning when her mom made her stand with her back against it every birthday morning. Tears stung Meredith's eyes, these marks looked very lonely without Roland's, hers and Harrison's heights next to his.

The sound of the front door pulled Meredith from her moment, and she closed the door quietly before composing herself.

"Mom?" She heard his voice call through the hall and suddenly, Meredith felt nervous. She took a deep breath and made her way back down the stairs. Tinkerbell and Regina were sitting at the dining room table, smiling as Henry made his way towards them. He greeted his mother with a kiss to the cheek and took the seat beside her. Meredith cleared her throat slightly from behind, and Henry turned to catch her eye. He smiled politely at her, and Meredith had to ignore the pang in her chest at the obvious lack of recognition behind his eyes. She smiled back.

Henry looked exactly the same, but also very different. The brother she remembered was tall and strong, but his eyes were no less kind or his smile no less warm than the boy sitting before her.

"Henry this is Merida, her and Tink are going to be staying here until all this ... Ice Queen drama ... blows over," Regina said.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you." He stood up and offered her his hand. She shook it gingerly.

"Lovely to meet you too," she said, rather quietly, and took the seat next to him.

"Have you eaten?" Regina asked. Henry shook his head.

"I had ice cream for lunch?" He said sheepishly, Regina narrowed her eyes. "Emma, Hook and Mary Margaret were arguing about sleeping arrangements and Gramps was trying to settle Neal, so I just left them to it."

Regina rolled her eyes, "I dread to think what your diet's been like this past year. There's lasagna in the oven for us." She got up and planted a kiss on the top of his head before moving into the kitchen. Meredith felt her mouth water at the thought of her mother's cooking. Her stomach grumbled involuntary, and she excused herself from the table before following Regina into the next room.

"Would you like any help?" She asked, almost hopeful the Queen would say yes. She and her mother used to love cooking and baking together when she was little, and Meredith felt a pang of sadness because she couldn't actually remember the last time they'd done anything like that.

Regina looked at her in surprise, "no, thank you. I got it." She pulled the steaming dish from it's home in the cooker and placed it gently on the counter, looking down proudly at her work.

"It looks beautiful, thank you," Meredith said.

"Well I can't exactly let you starve, can I?" Regina replied, cocking an eyebrow. Meredith smirked.

"Well all the same, I can't thank you enough anyway. I know this must be an inconvenience for you ... my being here."

"It's fine. Besides, if I kicked you out now Robin wouldn't be best pleased," her mother said, dishing up the food. Meredith, without thinking, moved to the drawers and grabbed knives and forks for them all. Regina looked over and frowned at her, "good guess," she muttered, taking the cutlery from Meredith's hand. She mentally cursed herself; she wasn't supposed to know where anything in this house was!

Henry was the first to start asking her questions when they all sat down.

"So do you miss the Enchanted Forest?"

Meredith took her time chewing her food as they all turned to her. Panic filled her body. "Yes and no, there are things in this realm I find much better than in the forest ... but I ... I miss my family."

Henry nodded sympathetically. "Do you have a big family?"

Meredith smiled, "I have three brothers."

Tinkerbell snorted, "I bet that's fun."

"Actually it is ... they all drive me crazy but now I'm not with them ..." she couldn't finish the sentence.

"I wish I had brothers," Henry said, sneaking a sheepish grin over at Regina, who nearly choked on her food.

"Well I'm afraid you'll be looking to Emma to fulfill that wish, Mr."

"Come on, mom! You wouldn't adopt again?" He asked hopefully. Meredith smiled down at her food and thought of Roland, and she wondered briefly if Regina thought of herself as Roland's mother too, yet.

"You wouldn't have a child naturally?" Tinkerbell asked cautiously, and Meredith found herself looking up, interested in the answer. Regina squirmed uncomfortably in her seat.

"Mom can't have children," Henry said quietly and the atmosphere in the room quickly became heavy. Tinkerbell grew red in the face, and Meredith had to resist the urge to kick the fairy for her tactless words.

"And I wouldn't want any more, either," Regina eventually said, leaning over to Henry and pushing her forehead against his with a smile. "You are quite stressful enough by yourself, thank you very much."

Meredith began playing with the food on her fork, worrying that this conversation, that the revelation that Regina didn't want any more children would stop herself and Harrison from ever being born. She cleared her throat and began to speak, never once moving her eyes from her plate.

"You know, my mom couldn't have children either ... until she met my dad."

"She could have children with your dad but no one else?" Tinkerbell asked.

Meredith nodded. "They were told we were only born because they're ... soulmates," she said the last word slowly, knowing she was on dangerous ground. Meredith felt her face burn and prayed her mane of curls was burying her expression from view; she didn't need to look up to know Regina was watching her.

She looked up cautiously and met her mother's gaze. Regina's expression was one Meredith couldn't quite place; a mixture between curiosity and longing and sympathy, maybe. The Queen spoke first, "well, they're very lucky to have found each other."

"Did Gold manage figure out what Elsa needs your mom's spell book for, yet?" henry asked their mother, changing the subject.

"I really might kill your other mother. The reason we keep you out of those meeting's is to keep you safe and then she goes and blabs anyway!"

"It wasn't Emma! It was Hook!" Henry said, quickly covering his tracks. Regina glared.

"I hate that pirate," she said through gritted teeth.

"So ... did he?"

Her mother sighed heavily and wiped her mouth with her napkin. "No, he didn't."

"Are we definitely sure it's her who took it?" He asked.

"Who else would it be?"

Henry shrugged nonchalantly. "I just think it's kinda weird. If she's so powerful, why would she need a spell book?" Meredith felt her heart pound so hard she was sure the others might be able to hear it beat. Henry continued his guess work. "Maybe she has a connection to you?" He looked at their mom, who groaned.

"I hope not, I really could do without another relative popping up," she said, squeezing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"It is a bit strange, though," Tinkerbell started. "Of all the magical things in that shop, why _your _spell book, specifically?"

"You've got your vault protected ... right? Just in case," Henry said nervously.

"It's locked with blood magic, don't worry."

"Because that worked out so well the first time round," Tink muttered, avoiding Regina's gaze.

"Really, what are the odds of me having another estranged, megalomaniac for a sister? My vault is perfectly protected."

Meredith was visibly squirming in her seat, completely freaking out over the conversation at hand. She stood up quickly and knocked the table with her legs. "I'm so sorry," she said, wiping up the contents of her spilled drink. Regina and Tinkerbell also stood, gathering plates and helping mop up, and Meredith was glad she'd managed to distract them from their wonderings.

She swallowed hard, maybe breaking into her mom's vault wasn't the best idea.

_But then how will you get home?_ A voice in her head asked.

She would have to think of another way.

_There is no other way._

She would have to just stay here then.

_You cannot stay here._

She could retreat into the woods, or abandon the town and go and live in an entirely different state.

_You could change the coarse of time._

She's probably already done that.

_You have to get that pendant._

Her mother will kill her if she finds out.

_You don't have a choice. _

Meredith sighed heavily and rubbed her tired eyes with the heel of her hands. She jumped at a touch to her shoulder. Regina stood behind her, holding both hands up slightly, as though she was surrendering. "You look exhausted Merida, why don't you go to bed?"

* * *

The next morning, Meredith woke feeling better than she had done in days. She lay in the comfort of pillows and blankets for a short while, enjoying the warmth they brought. She rolled over and looked at the window, the curtains were drawn, but even through them, Meredith could tell the sun still hadn't found its way through the heavy clouds.

She had found it extremely ironic last night, when her mother had shown her to the guest room she'd be sleeping in, as it actually turned out to be her own. Like the rest of the house, the room felt foreign, and Meredith had felt a pang of guilt when she first looked to the window she'd snuck out of when this whole mess began.

Her heart soared a little while later, when she'd dressed and made her way downstairs to the smell of her mother's pancakes. Henry smiled at her as she joined mother and son in the kitchen.

"Help yourself, there's plenty," Regina said, nodding towards the food. Meredith felt a wide smile spring onto her face and tucked into the food like she'd never eaten before.

"Where's Tink?" She asked when she was eventually too full for another bite.

Regina rolled her eyes, "still in bed. Neverland made her lazy, I think." Meredith smirked and then jumped off the bar stool. "Where are you going?" Her mother asked.

"Just for a walk, I won't be long."

Regina frowned. "Do you really think that's safe right now?"

Meredith couldn't help but smile at her concern, perhaps this version was more like her mother than she thought. "I'll be fine, I have my bow."

She watched as Regina seemed to have an internal battle with herself, before she eventually sighed. "Just ... be careful."

* * *

The cold air filled her lungs as Meredith trudged through the snow in the woods. Last night she had suddenly thought of the well, and the magical properties the water held. That had been a portal entry before, why the hell hadn't she thought to attempt to reopen it there sooner?

The snapping of branches caught her ear, and she stopped, suddenly, like a deer caught in headlights. Meredith quickly pulled the string of her bow back, ready to fire at any second. Relief filled her body when her dad's accent met her ears, and she dropped her weapon.

"Apologizes, m'lady," he said, smiling warmly at her and lowering his own crossbow.

"I didn't realise you were out here,"

"Nor I, you," he replied, matching her stride as she carried on for the well. "I suppose you slept better last night at Regina's?"

She smiled. "It's that obvious, huh?"

He chuckled, "you don't really seem like the camping kind."

Meredith snorted. "I can manage ... but no, I guess I'm not. What brings you out here?"

"I thought I'd maybe get another start on searching for Elsa. And you?"

"I just ... needed to clear my head."

Robin nodded at her understandingly. Silence fell on them as they continued to plough through the snow, and Meredith wondered whether that may have been the real reason he was out here. Whenever he and her mother argued, or something stressful happened, he would always venture out into the woods. She was itching to ask him what had happened with Marian, especially after her mother had told them what happened yesterday morning. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

"How is it at Granny's?" She asked lightly.

"A damn sight warmer than outside," he smiled catching her eye. "The Merry Men aren't keen, but it's the safest place for us right now."

"And how ... how is Marian?" She said slowly, now looking down at her feet as they plodded along. "I mean, after the whole ... thing ... yesterday."

Robin sighed gravely and his eyes became full of sorrow. "She's heartbroken." Meredith stopped in her treks and looked at her dad, her shoulders dropped and her heart ached for him. He too stopped walking. "She can't see that Regina's changed."

Meredith was about to attempt some words of wisdom for him when movement beyond Robin's shoulder caught her eye. She frowned and brought her index finger to her mouth, miming for her father not to talk. Robin looked round carefully, bringing his crossbow up to his shoulder. Meredith tiptoed forward, not making a sound as she went. They crept further up the hill and were finally met with the well.

And something else.

Meredith stopped so suddenly Robin walked straight into the back of her. Her heart was pounding in her chest as her eyes fell on her.

Meredith spoke in a hushed voice. "Elsa?"

**Please review with your opinions! I Love hearing what you think/what you'd like to happen :)**


	12. Chapter Eleven

_Meredith spoke in a hushed voice. "Elsa?" _

Her dad tensed up beside her, and for a moment, no one breathed.

Elsa didn't blink, unmoving as she stood by the well. "Stay back," she breathed.

Meredith took in the girl standing before her. Her skin was white and her hair so blonde it almost disappeared in the snow behind her. Her eyes were grey in colour, fragile and lost as she looked upon Meredith and her dad. Her dress was completely out of this realm, beautiful and regal, everything a queen should be wearing. The sheer back floated in the breeze and the crystals encased on the aqua blue bodice twinkled even in the lack of sunlight. At first, Meredith thought she was holding an icicle, but the longer she looked, it became obvious that Elsa was in fact gripping hold of a wand. It was so alluring, and longer than any wand she'd ever seen before, more like a scepter than a wand, really. Meredith felt herself lean in, drawn to the object, as her eyes took in the glass like tip and ornate silver handle. Any sorceress would think herself lucky to possess such an item.

She tore her eyes away from the wand and for a second her fingers had brushed the arrows lying in the quiver at her hip she'd attached to her belt. She thought the better of it though, and gently swung her bow over her shoulder and held her hands up in peace.

"We're not gonna hurt you," she said, slowly pushing Robin's crossbow down. He frowned at her, clearly conflicted as to what to do. He lowered it slowly, but kept his finger on the trigger.

"How do you know my name?" Elsa asked, looking worried.

Meredith swallowed. "Rumplestiltskin told us about you ... about what he did to you." The expression on Elsa's face turned hard, and suddenly the soft snow at their feet turned into solid ice; the Ice Queen's free hand turned white with frost as her fingers curled into fists. Meredith held her arms up higher, shuffling closer to her father.

"Please, we don't want anybody to get hurt," Meredith begged.

"We only want you to stop the winter, no harm has to come to anyone," Robin said carefully.

Elsa's face was like thunder, and Meredith was very much regretting mentioning Gold at all. "That ... _imp_," Elsa's voice broke and she started to shake with anger, heavy snow began tumbling from the heavens in buckets.

"I'm so sorry for what he did to you, Elsa. _He_ is sorry for what he did to you. He's changed, it isn't like before." Meredith panicked, clutching at straws with her words, saying anything she could think of to stop her dad and herself from getting hurt. "If you calm down, you can come with us and he'll explain. Please, just stop the ice."

"Don't you understand? I _can't_! It won't stop! And the more I feel the worse it gets!" The girl looked terrified, and Meredith's heart went out to her. She knew exactly what it felt like to feel like you had too much power to control. Her mind flashed briefly to her magic, and how her mother hadn't been able to use it when she had been in close proximity to Elsa. Meredith, on the other hand, felt no differently ... she could still feel her magic in her veins and in her soul. She was very confident she could use it without it getting frozen, which struck her as very odd, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

She swallowed before speaking, knowing her words would make Robin question her. "I understand how you feel, Elsa, _really_ I do. I know exactly what it's like to have something inside of you that you think you can't control, but I can teach you! Let me try, Elsa, _please_?"

"It's too late for that," The blonde said, shaking her head. She brought the wand up over her head and before Meredith could shout to protest, Robin had pushed her aside and shot an arrow straight for Elsa's chest.

The Queen stopped the arrow mid air and it burst into thousands of tiny icicles. Meredith stared in horror as Elsa strode towards them with her wand pointing firmly at the pair. Grey, smokey magic swirled around the glass like end of the scepter and Meredith found she couldn't tear her eyes away from it. Her blood ran cold at the magic seeping out of it's end and it was only when Robin gripped hold of her arm did she snap out of her trance and catch the murderous look in Elsa's eyes. Meredith stumbled backwards and half tripped over a large stone that was lying on the ground behind her, only managing to stay upright because of the tight clench her father had on her. But the leg she'd caught the edge of the rock with stung, and Meredith felt warm sticky blood running down to her socks.

"RUN!" Her dad yelled, pulling her back through the trees.

They ran as though the devil was chasing them, as fast as their legs would carry them through the snow. The cold air burned Meredith's lungs and she struggled to breathe as her heart pounded against her chest. Pain shot through her leg every time her foot hit the ground, and she had to grit her teeth from crying out. Never once did she look back to find out if Elsa was chasing them.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and she grabbed hold of her dads hand tightly, fearing she would lose him through the woods. He squeezed it back, and suddenly Meredith found some of the fear in her chest subsiding; no matter what happened, her dad was with her.

The howl of a wolf made them hesitate the direction they were headed, and Meredith slowed to look round, trying to find the animal. Elsa was nowhere to be seen, and Meredith's chest heaved as she caught her breath. Another howl erupted through the trees.

"You think it's after us?" She asked Robin, gulping for air and resting her hands on her knees. He shook his head, squinting at Meredith through the flurries of snow.

"There's no way of knowing, come on, we have to get back to town." And they took off at a run once more.

The pain in Meredith's leg made tears sting her eyes as they pounded the forest floor and dodged trees. Snow fell in her eyelashes, and she had to screw up her eyes for any hope of seeing the path they were taking. She was vaguely aware of Robin at her side; she was sure he could run faster than he actually was, but refused to leave her behind.

The piercing snarl of a wolf made her jump, and Meredith snapped her head back to see four wild dogs hunting them. A cry escaped her throat as she forced her body to carry her faster through the snow, and just as she looked forward the pack's alpha rounded the tree in front of the pair. She slowed herself down as fast as possible to avoid colliding with the animal that was menacingly baring its teeth as they got closer. Meredith pushed Robin aside and yelled.

"Split up!"

He was about to protest, she could tell, and so decided to run to the wolf's left before he could stop her. She thought she heard him yell her name, but didn't stop to check. The alpha was hot on her tail as she pushed passed the trees, praying she'd make it to town before it got her.

Suddenly, her leg seized up and Meredith flew through the air. Her body slammed into the ground and she groaned loudly rolling over, and clutching her calf. It was agony, and when she looked down at her hands, her gloves were drenched in sticky red blood. She bit back a cry and pushed herself up, supporting her weight with her hands as she went.

An aggressive growl made her freeze, and Meredith looked up slowly to see two wolves creeping towards her; she was their prey, and the hunters were ready to make their kill. She swallowed audibly, and her heart hit her ribcage from the inside. For a second, she stayed perfectly still, desperately trying not to antagonize the wolves further. They were huge, and looked so powerful Meredith knew if she didn't move soon they would rip her apart in seconds.

A strangled yell from the other side of the trees caught her ears, and gave Meredith the distraction she needed for the dogs. She shot her hands forward, throwing the animals back with a hard force of bright, white magic. They yelped as the fell to the floor, and Meredith made her body stand up. She grabbed hold of her bow, which had fallen to the floor when she had, and took off in the direction of the shout she'd heard.

Her dad's shout.

She reached down to her quiver and notched an arrow in her bow, ready to fire at any second as she limped quickly through the trees. Meredith almost fell forward again when she finally reached him and made her legs stop.

Robin was lying on the ground, crossbow strewn across the floor, and apparently out cold. Three wolves were rounding in on him, and Meredith didn't hesitate. The first one went down the second her arrow pierced it's eye. The second rounded on her instantly, but was dead on the floor in two seconds flat as she shot another arrow through the air. The third barked viciously and galloped towards her, and Meredith's fingers grew stiff with the cold as she tried to pull out another arrow.

The wolf knocked her off her feet before she had chance, and she screamed in terror as the animal's front paws pushed against her chest and it brought it's face down low, towards her own. It's breath was hot on her face as its teeth snapped violently with every growl and bark it spat. Meredith brought her hands to the side of the wolf's face, trying to pull it back as another cry escaped her mouth. She tried desperately to concentrate, to catch her breath and focus on her magic, but the horror was too much. She was about to die.

A whistle made the animal stop almost instantly. And Meredith stared at the sky in shock, not bothering to hold back the tears that escaped her eyes as it moved away from her slowly. She was sure the fright had turned her entire body into a statue, and her chest heaved as her heart raced. Meredith looked up to see Elsa calling the animal back to her.

The Ice Queen stood tall with her wand in one hand and the other turned into a fist. Tears pooled in her grey eyes, they looked as hard as stone as she watched Meredith, who had finally managed to scramble back up to her feet. When she spoke, it was through a clenched jaw and gritted teeth.

"These are my woods now. Don't ever come back," she spat. Her sheer cape followed her as she turned away from Meredith.

But the wolf didn't follow, and snapped its jaw aggressively as it began to prowl back towards Robin. Meredith didn't hesitate this time. She flung down to grab her bow and shot the creature with a force so hard it flew a few feet back as it yelped and eventually remained still. Meredith's eyes only left the animal's when she heard Elsa's strangled scream.

Her head shot round and her eyes widened in horror as the blonde stalked towards her, the scepter beginning to glow again. Meredith kept her eyes from falling on the magic, afraid she would fall back into the dream like state she'd felt when Elsa had first wielded it. Her hands shot up to protect herself out of pure instinct, and Meredith prayed as she felt her own magic coarse towards her fingertips that it wouldn't freeze the way Regina's had.

She blasted Elsa back so hard the Queen hit the ground with a dull thud more than twenty feet away. Meredith bolted towards her dad.

"Oh god," she cried, staring at the bloody mess that was his head. He'd fallen hard, and remained unmoving. Meredith grabbed the lapels of his jacket. "Robin?! ... Robin?! Wake up!" She shook him hard, and hot tears streaked down her cheeks. She shot a glance back at Elsa, who was still out cold on the ground. "DAD?! Please ... oh god, daddy please wake up!" her voice was hoarse from the cold air and the cries she choked out.

She quickly wiped the tears from her face and took a deep, shuddered breath. Gripping the tip of her gloves with her teeth, she removed them hastily and gently placed her ice cold hands on Robin's head. A swirl of white and blue magic left her palms and cleared the deep welt in his skin, and the blood in his hair disappeared. She reached down and clutched at his coat once more, constantly checking back that the Ice Queen hadn't yet awoken.

Robin's eyes scrunched and he groaned, and Meredith let out a cry of relief. She threw herself down onto his chest and buried her face in his neck. He rubbed her back, somewhat hesitantly, and Meredith suddenly remembered she was still technically a stranger. She leaned back and helped pull him up. He looked round in what she could only describe as a mixture of horror and awe at the scene before them.

Blood from the wolves looked harsh and loud against the snow, but when Meredith looked over at the snow an unnerving anxiety settled in the pit of her stomach.

Elsa had gone.

She looked around quickly, but never caught sight of the Queen. Robin tugged at her hand.

"You did this?" He asked.

She caught his eye and nodded sadly. A tiny part of her was glad Elsa wasn't there; it would most definitely_ not_ have been easy concocting a lie as to how she'd knocked her clean out. He merely nodded back and eased his arm around her waist. She looked up at him in surprise.

"We have to get back and tell the others." And with that, the two walked quickly, leaning on each other as they trudged back to the town.

* * *

"Where are they?" Regina demanded as she pushed past David when he opened the door to their loft. She and Henry had been trawling over his storybook, looking for any clue as to what Elsa might want with Cora's spell book, when Mary Margaret had called in a panic and said Robin and Merida had been attacked in the woods. Without thinking, she had yelled for Tinkerbell to stay inside with Henry and transported herself straight to the street the loft sat on.

Her dark eyes immediately fell on her outlaw. Robin was sitting on their couch, looking exhausted and pale. He met her gaze with an expression Regina couldn't quite place. He was sitting next to Merida, who had her leg elevated on the coffee table with her black jeans torn up past her knee. She was wincing in pain. Regina moved towards them and stood behind Snow, who was gently cleaning a deep wound in the side of the redhead's leg. Now she was closer, Regina found herself really taking in the young girls appearance. Her hair was damp from the snow, her skin was ashen and she shivered as she gritted her teeth at Snow's touch.

"What the hell happened?" She asked, pulling Mary Margaret back and taking her place on the edge of the coffee table. She gently swiped her hand across Merida's wound, and the girl looked at her in surprise, as though she'd only just realised Regina had turned up. The welt on her leg knitted itself back together neatly.

"We met Elsa," Robin grimaced.

Regina gaped at them. "She did this to you?"

Both Robin and Merida were soaked through from the snow, each plastered in small cuts and dirt. Merida's mane of hair was caked in mud and infested with twigs and leaves. The girl's eyes were fixed ahead of her, staring at nothing in particular, and Regina felt worried. She looked as though she was in shock. She forgot herself for a moment, and leaned forward to gently stroke Merida's cheek with her hand in concern. The girls eyes shot to her and she flinched; Regina drew her hand back almost instantly.

"Get me some chocolate," she said, turning her head back to Snow, who hurried to the kitchen. A second later, the princess handed her a large Apollo bar, which Regina broke into little pieces. She pushed a square into Merida's hand. The girl looked down, confused. "You're in shock, Merida. Eat it. It will help," she said, nodding in encouragement.

Robin caught her eye and stood up, shooting a glance to the front door. She nodded and stood up, gently stroking Merida's half wet hair as she and Robin moved silently towards the staircase that led to and from the loft. He closed the door to, giving them the privacy they needed.

Regina cupped his face in her hands, stroking the stubble lining his jaw and looked at him in grave concern. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, sighing heavily and pressing a quick kiss to her lips as his hands settled on her waist. "I have no idea how we got out of that alive, Regina. She set wolves on us."

"She _what_?"

"They came out of nowhere. Merida and I got separated and I fell and caught my head on a stone." Regina frowned at his words and moved her hands into his hair and searching for the obvious injury he should have. Nothing. No blood, no cut or bruise. Her frown grew deeper. "I blacked out. It's strange; I could have sworn I drew blood when I went down."

"Well you did hit your head, maybe everything was just happening so fast."

"Perhaps," he replied, but he didn't seem convinced. "Anyhow, when I came too, they were all dead."

"What, how did they-"

"Merida. She killed them all."

Regina looked at the door, picturing the young girl sitting on the other side, in surprise. "Well it's no wonder she's in shock then." She shook her head lightly. "I can't believe she attacked you. You could have been killed, you know that?" Her eyes met his sternly, and Robin sighed.

Regina felt anger boil through her veins. Just who the hell did this Ice bitch think she was? Bile rose in her throat at just the thought of how things could have turned out if Merida hadn't been as quick on her feet. Regina looked back at the door and her heart surged with gratitude for the young girl sitting on the other side. Robin pulled her into a fierce embrace, and she squeezed him back with equal force, thinking perhaps he was more shaken from the events then he was letting on.

When she eventually pulled back, he moved his face closer to hers, and Regina felt her stomach flutter, inwardly smiling that despite their history he could still make her feel like that. The tiniest of voices in the back of her mind longed to know what had happened with Marian after she and Robin had returned from the cabin yesterday; but now was not the time to dwell on such things. They had all the time in the world, she thought, and swallowed the shouts back down into the pit of her conscience where it belonged.

Their lips had barely brushed when someone cleared their throat loudly. Regina rolled her eyes as Rumplestiltskin made his way up the stairs and she and Robin moved apart from each other.

"What do you want?" She bit.

"Oh well hello to you too, dear," he replied, ignoring her question.

"Listen, there's something you ought to know," Robin said, regaining her attention. He ignored the imp as he battled with his cane and the steps. "Elsa had something with her, a wand I think."

"What kind of wand?" Regina asked, frowning. Rumple, who had reached the landing, stood and listened intently, despite knowing the words weren't intended for his ears.

"I'm unsure. I've never seen anything quite like it before. But she held it as though her life depended on it," he said, looking between the sorcerers.

"You think it's the tether to her magic?"

"I can only guess, but if we are to face such circumstances again I suggest we get that wand away from her as quickly as possible."

"This ... wand," Rumple started, "what did it look like?"

"It was long; longer than any wand I've ever seen. The handle was quite ornate and-"

"The tip ... was it made of ice?"

Robin made a face, trying to remember. "I thought glass, but it could have been ice."

Regina watched her old teacher with a hard expression in her eyes. Rumple's face seemed to register definite recognition at Robin's description, and his shoulders dropped and he sighed heavily.

"What do you know?" She demanded.

He chose his response carefully. "The original Ice Queen channeled her magic through a scepter, just like the one Robin here has described. She was said to be immortal, however, she was killed not long after she caught Elsa for me."

"You think Elsa stole her wand before she was trapped?" Regina asked, frowning. What happened to this girl being frightened and unsure how to control her powers? Nothing was making sense.

"It appears so. I highly doubt the true Ice Queen would have died had she been in possession of her scepter at the time of her demise."

"I assume from your expression this means nothing good for us?" Robin sighed at the Dark One.

"A girl with untold instabilities in her powers channeling the magic of an ancient sorceress? No, Mr Hood. It means nothing good for us."

Regina cocked an eyebrow. "Nothing good for _you_, you mean. You're the one she's pissed at!"

"I shouldn't have to remind you, I was nowhere near her today and look at the destruction she's started," he replied, venom in his voice.

She glared at him, anger rising in her chest. Robin placed a hand on her arm, giving it a gentle squeeze, but she wasn't in the mood to be tamed. She snatched it back and knocked past the imp as she stomped back into the apartment.

The colour had started to come back to Merida's cheeks, and she sat down by her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. The chocolate it seemed, had worked a treat. Regina rolled her eyes as she caught sight of Snow, who was readying a sewing kit to fix Merida's jeans, and the Queen once again swiped her hand over the redhead's leg. The jean's fixed themselves instantly.

"How do you feel?" She asked, surprising even herself at the genuine concern she felt for the girl.

"Honestly?" Merida said wearily.

Regina sniffed with a small smile and gave her shoulder squeeze. "I think we should probably get you back to the house. You need rest."

She had nearly said home; _very_ nearly. But caught herself in time, feeling conflicted at the growing concern she was feeling for this near stranger. It's because she's young, she told herself, it's because you see yourself in her. It was nothing but her natural mothering coming out, nothing more than proving to Henry she'd changed. He would never forgive her if she didn't help Merida, especially after saving Robin. _That_ had to be the reason she felt so fond of the girl. Because Merida was a stranger still, because she hadn't known any of them long enough to be included in their odd little family.

Yes, Regina had very nearly said the word home, and then silently reminded herself that no, hers was no home to this poor girl at all.

* * *

**A/N: Arrrrgh! So much angst at the start there my head nearly exploded. I have only very recently learned what the heck beta means, and I ****unfortunately**** am un-beta'd, so all mistakes are my own and I ****apologise!**

**A MASSIVE thank you for all of your reviews! I can't believe we reached 100 for the last chapter! Amazing! I appreciate it so much, I absolutely love hearing what you're all thinking! **

**Would love any feedback on this chapter (I've never really written proper angst before!)**


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Apologising before you read it for the length! Works been crazy; if I get time I will update again tomorrow x**

**Set from future Regina POV**

* * *

Regina absentmindedly twisted her wedding ring round her finger continuously, watching as Robin, David and Little John poured over the maps they had outlining the forest.

"She's never been further than this grid," Robin said, running his palm across the paper. David nodded, a deep frown in the crease between his eyebrows.

"She wouldn't venture into a part of the forest she doesn't know though, surely?" John asked. "She would have gone in the direction of the highway."

"I've already driven every root there is to the highway," Regina snapped. "She isn't there!"

It had now been close to four hours since they'd last seen Meredith. Robin and John had trawled the woods before leaving the rest of the Merry Men covering every inch of it's vastness and eventually coming back to town to inform David what had happened.

Four whole hours. It wasn't really that long a time, Regina kept telling herself. If Robin hadn't been part of Storybrooke's police department, they wouldn't have even had cause to drag the Sheriff into it yet. She had driven around every place she thought Meredith may go to, and then even some places Regina wasn't even sure Meredith knew of. Her vault, the docks, Gold's cabin, the well, the clock tower, Granny's, David & Snow's loft, the school, the children's play area in the woods, the construction sight the mine's once were. She'd combed the streets and quiet suburbs and even driven into a neighboring town, and nothing. A location spell was the very first thing she'd done when they'd realised Meredith had left her cell phone, cash and bow strewn across her bed. She had yelled out a groan in frustration when she realised it wouldn't work; much to her dismay, their daughter had gotten increasingly skilled at blocking Regina's magic.

She felt sick with worry. There was an unnerving feeling in the very pit of her stomach that was screaming something wasn't right. Mary Margaret and Neal had turned up just after school, along with Tinkerbell, who was now nursing Harrison upstairs. They all crowded around her dining room table.

Robin ran his hand along her shoulder blades before giving her neck a gentle squeeze of reassurance and leaving it there.

"We'll find her," he said firmly, though Regina couldn't tell whether the phrase was meant for her or himself. She just nodded slightly at his words.

"I have no doubt she's just fine, Regina. We've got the perfect window of time here to look for her. And it's still light out." David said.

"Exactly," his wife agreed. "This isn't a huge town, there aren't that many places she could have run to." Mary Margaret reached across the table and held Regina's hand in comfort. Neal, who was standing back from them all, snorted, suddenly making his presence known.

"We wouldn't _have_ to find her if you had just listened to us this afternoon!"

"Neal!" Snow gasped, shocked at her son's outburst. Regina looked over to him and glared.

"She never wanted to tell you about us because she knew you'd be unsupportive! I tried to talk her round and _now_ look what's happened!" He said, and Regina could take no more.

She pushed her hands against the table and shot up out of her chair and Robin eased his arm in front of her torso, keeping her standing by his side as David yelled at his son. "You are on thin ice today, young man. Don't push it!"

"Apologise to Regina, right now," Snow scolded.

"No! This is all her fault! Meredith never would have run off if you hadn't flown off the handle!" Neal yelled at the Queen, who pushed past her husband's grip.

Regina stood directly in front of the boy, who was taller, but somehow lacked the intimidation she was capable of. "Have you ever stopped to think that none of this would have happened if you hadn't convinced her to skip school so you could seduce her this afternoon?!"

She was very nearly seeing red, and Neal gulped as she spat her words at him. Regina would never have usually spoken to him in such a way; this particular Charming had never warranted being on the receiving end of her mean streak until now.

"That's not ... we weren't ..." he stumbled over his words.

"You best prey with every fibre of your being that nothing's happened to my daughter because believe me, you haven't even glimpsed what I do look like when I ... how did you put it? _Fly off the handle_!"

Regina's words were drowning in a venom she hadn't felt in years. She spoke through gritted teeth and a clenched jaw, and Neal's eyes widened at her threat. The atmosphere in the room grew as thick as steel, and for a moment no one spoke. Neal looked between his parents before stalking out the room without another word. Snow called after her son, but listened to her husband when he told her not to follow him as Neal slammed the front door shut. Regina let out a shaky breath as Robin pulled her back to him.

His hands cupped her face and he looked into her eyes with a stern expression on his face. "I promise you, I _will_ get her back. Roland and Henry will be here soon, they'll be able to help us look."

"I called Emma and Killian just as soon as I heard. They're setting back early, they'll be here before you know it." Mary Margaret said softly, as though she was trying to defuse the bomb that was Regina Mills before she went boom.

But Regina didn't want Emma and her stupid one-armed pirate. She didn't want Roland or Henry, she didn't even want Robin right now. The only thing she wanted in that very second was her daughter. Her beautiful baby girl, who more often than not drove her crazy, but whom she could not breathe without. What started out as blind rage had slowly turned into a niggle of worry, which in turn had twisted into something much more than a niggle, and now all Regina could feel was terror at the unknown. She couldn't pin point the exact moment the ... _feeling_ ... had overwhelmed her. The sixth sense, the natural instinct, the animalistic nature that something very wrong was happening to her child.

"Something's not right, Robin." The tears that stung her eyes almost took her breath away, and she could see from the worry etched into his face, Robin felt the same.

She had nearly reached breaking point, and just as Regina's sorrow nearly had her submerged, the sky outside suddenly turned dark. Everyone's focus hit the window, and David walked towards the pane as a murder of crows shot over the sky and wind howled around them. Regina's back met Robins chest as she took in the sight outside, but before anyone could speak-

A bright light blinded the group, and the last thing Regina felt was Robin's arms around her as everything went black.

* * *

**Eeep! I hope it made sense that the end of this chapter happened at precisely the moment Meredith was sent back in time by the witch. My apologises if it didn't! **


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**My apologises for the slight wait in update! The weekend has been manic. I'll say it now, I'm not massively happy with this chapter. I hope it reads well - I may well come back to it and re-write at a later date. **

**Thank you all so, so much for the reviews, favourites and follows. You all rule! **

**Don't own 'em. **

* * *

_She ran, fast. So fast she worried her legs may come apart from her body and carry on without her because she couldn't keep up. Her chest burned, but she couldn't stop. _

_She wasn't sure why. _

_It was dark, and the smell of forest filled her senses as she pounded the dirt and edged between trees that grew closer together the deeper into their heart she got. The howl of a wolf made her snap her head round. But nothing was hunting her tonight. And when she brought her focus back to the path in front of her, she was no longer surrounded by woods._

_The castle was regal and intimidating. The windows were stain glassed and so detailed she could have stared at them forever and still never quite seen the entire picture. A growl met her ears, and when she looked straight ahead, the Evil Queen sat high on her throne in between two black bears._

_"__Mom?" Her voice was almost broken. _

_The Queen stared right through her, sitting so still she was almost convinced she was a statue, a ghost, a mere symbol of the woman who had raised her. Apples fell at her feet, and suddenly the dark haired beauty before her snarled and fire engulfed them._

_"__Mom! Please! It's me," she choked through smoke. _

_But this was not her mother, and the Evil Queen laughed. She looked down and her eyes caught the hair that fell over her chest. The right side was long and soft, dark as a raven's feathers. The left was tight curls, as red as the flames that threatened her life inside this strange realm._

_Was she even in a realm? Maybe she wasn't alive anymore. _

_Somewhere, a clock struck the hour, and chimes rang so loudly through the castle's hall she had to cover her ears. The Evil Queen was standing in front of her now, and a large green pendent swung from her neck. _

_"__You're out of time, Merida," she spat._

_But did she actually spit the words? _

_"__Merida." _

_That didn't sounded as harsh._

_"__Merida!" _

_That's not even her name; why is this woman calling her that?_

"Merida!"

Meredith woke with a start, sweat dripping from her body and her chest heaving from the nightmare that had plagued her mind. Her mother was shaking her awake, looking gravely concerned and almost like the woman Meredith had left behind in the future.

"Are you okay?" She asked, a deep crease moulded between her eyebrows.

Meredith looked around her room; it wasn't really her room yet, and the past few days came tumbling back to her as she left the dream world behind and fell back down to reality so hard she knew it would hurt when she hit the bottom. She nodded breathlessly.

"It was ..." she looked into her mother's chocolate eyes and felt the tension ease. "It was just a nightmare."

Regina looked her curiously, but didn't push any further for details of her dream; which was rapidly slipping away from her memory anyway.

Meredith's whole body felt battered and bruised with every movement she made. Yesterday's battle with Elsa and the wolves had done more of a number on her body than she'd been willing to admit to, and it was only now after hours of restless sleep could Meredith really feel the physical tole all this stress was having on her body.

Regina stood from her bed and moved back towards the door. "I've left you breakfast if you're hungry. Tinkerbell's taken Henry to see Emma."

"Where are you going?" Meredith asked. Her mother's hair length was lost in the thick red scarf wrapped around her neck, and her leather coat was zipped up as far as it would go.

"I'm just going to get something ... something that might help us." She said cagily.

Meredith smirked. "I may have been a little out of it last night but I heard everything Emma said to you, Regina."

She had been lying in bed when Emma had come to check on her. She had listened intently as Emma and Regina talked, and even through the floorboards Meredith could feel an atmosphere, a battle of two leaders with two approaches brewing between them, (not to mention the grudge Regina still held for Emma's part in Marian's return). In the end, both agreed in light of everything Elsa had done to her and Robin, no one should go outside alone.

Her mother's eyes rolled. "Well I didn't mean me. I can take care of myself just fine."

"And just what exactly will you do if you stumble upon Elsa wherever you're going?" Meredith dragged herself out of bed, despite her body's protests, and walked over to the Queen.

"I'll roast her," she answered with a satisfied smile.

Meredith snorted. "With what, matches? You're not capable of making magic around her!"

"I'll be fine! I'm only going to the graveyard!" Regina said, almost whining at her daughter.

Meredith's heart froze. She was going to her vault. "I'll come with you," she said quickly. If she could get a look inside and check out the layout, breaking in would be much easier when the time came.

Regina narrowed her eyes. "No!"

"No, what?" She asked, feigning ignorance.

"You're _not_."

"Not coming with you? Yes. I am. Look, I'm sorry but ... you don't have a choice. It's not safe for you to go out there on your own."

Regina laughed. "What are you gonna do? Protect me with sticks?"

"Worked well enough yesterday," Meredith said, her face darkening, and the cold smile slipped from her mother's face. She looked uncomfortable.

"Fine. Go and get ready, I'll wait for you." Regina said, in a slightly smaller voice than she would usually use, and Meredith pushed past her to quickly, or as quickly as her body would allow her, get ready.

* * *

They trekked through the snow together in silence. Meredith longed to make conversation with her mother, but it was hard. This version was so guarded, and so far she had seen only Henry bring down her walls long enough for Meredith to catch a glimpse of the woman who had birthed and raised her.

Regina, she was pretty sure, was staying quiet because she was still in a mood Meredith had demanded she have company. If she hadn't missed her so much, Meredith probably would have found the whole thing quite funny; she had never known a situation where _she_ had been the responsible one and her mother had done something dangerous. She felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth as she thought about the irony of it all.

"What's so funny?" Regina asked, pulling her from her thoughts. She smiled. Regina's nose was pink from the cold, and Meredith physically had to stop herself from linking her arm around her mom's and huddling closer to her for warmth.

"Nothing. Where are we going again?" She changed the subject even though she knew the answer. Regina hesitated before caving.

"I have a vault here that I brought magic in when we first came to this world. I think I might be able to put together a spell to immobilize Elsa's magic just long enough for someone to grab that wand."

"You don't think she'll be as powerful without the wand?"

Regina pondered for a second. "I don't think she'll be as dangerous. But Rumple trapped her for a reason, she's too unpredictable for us not to do something about her."

Meredith looked at Regina as they walked. "I think it must be pretty terrifying ... having so much power and not knowing what to do to control it." Only there was no thinking about it, she knew first hand how scary it could be when the magic got too much and wouldn't be contained anymore. She briefly thought back to the few times her rage had got the better of her and her magic had blown the whole house up. Thankfully, no one had been seriously injured; though Roland had never quite forgiven her for the tiny scar that now lay in his eyebrow.

"It is ... I guess. I've never really not been in control of my magic. I didn't even know I had it until Rumplestiltskin found me."

"Do you ever resent him? For teaching you?" Meredith asked, drinking in the information her mother would never usually tell her. Regina stayed quiet for a moment before answering.

"I ... wonder. Sometimes. What my life would have been like if he'd never taught me magic. But no ... I don't resent him. Not anymore ... if I hadn't done everything i've done in my life, I wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't have my son. If I hadn't met Rumple I'm pretty sure I'd have offed myself years ago just to escape my miserable life with the king."

"What was he like? The king."

Her mother snorted. "As a ruler? Wonderful. The kingdom loved him. But as a husband?" Regina arched her brow in disdain as she looked back through her memories. "I had him murdered, so what do you think?"

Meredith swallowed. She had always known about the awful things that happened at the hands of her mother, but Regina had never talked to her about the details first hand.

"You must have been very desperate to resort to that." She replied simply.

"Yes well ... grief does that to you."

"Who were you grieving?" But Meredith knew the answer.

"Someone long gone," Regina said, a small, sad smile making it's way across her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she said sadly. And suddenly Meredith found herself overwhelmed by the sorrow she felt for more than just her mother's long lost love. She was sorry for Daniel, yes, but she was also sorry for everything that had happened afterwards. She was sorry for the years of misery Regina had gone through, sorry for the manipulation, sorry for the blood on her hands and the overwhelming fear she must have felt, sorry for the anger and hatred that still obviously plagued her mother. But mainly, she was sorry for only just beginning to understand (not discover, she had always known the facts, but had never really grasped the true magnitude of the effect all these acts had on her mother's life). Finally, now she could grasp an understanding of exactly what Regina's life had been like prior to her days as Robin's wife, as Mayor of Storybrooke, even prior to her days as the Evil Queen.

Meredith had to bite back a cry that threatened to overcome her; all she wanted in that moment was to cuddle into her mother and breathe her in. She wanted to tell her that what she was _really_ sorry for was everything she'd put her through, and desperately wanted to go back to being the mommy's girl she'd been growing up.

Meredith was pulled from her sadness when Regina stopped in her tracks beside her. She looked back at her mother and opened her mouth to ask what was wrong when Regina shot her hand to her mouth and gestured Meredith to stay silent.

She looked around the graveyard quickly and pulled her bow from her shoulder, feeling fear bubble inside of her at the thought of facing Elsa again. Or the wolves. Her muscles protested as she drew an arrow from her quiver and pulled back the string. Regina frowned and edged forwards quietly, focussing on the mausoleum. Meredith followed her mothers gaze and copied her deep frown when her eyes fell on a small figure crouched on the steps in the distance. She squinted her eyes and dropped her bow.

"Is that ... Roland?" She asked quietly. And Regina broke into a slight run as she made her way to the boy.

Sure enough, Roland was sitting by the door to Regina's mausoleum with his hands in his pockets and his face tucked as far as it would go into his coat, crying his eyes out. Regina called his name, and the second she reached him, the boy reached his little arms up. Meredith looked on in concern as Regina didn't hesitate and scooped him up off the ground.

"Roland what are you doing?! Where's your dad?" Regina asked, somewhat frantically.

Meredith watched him choke back sobs as his big puppy dog eyes shone with watery tears and he buried his head under her mother's chin. Regina rubbed his back and rocked him from side to side.

"I got lost," he sniffed.

"Why're you out here, Roland?" Meredith asked gently.

"I wanted some ice cream and mommy said she couldn't get me any so I tried to find the place daddy and R'gina took me." His words came out with hiccups.

"You're freezing," Regina said, cuddling him tighter to her chest. "Come on, let's get you warmed up."

Meredith followed her mother down to her vault and into the tunnels that ran beneath the graveyard. This vault had always given Meredith the creeps, and a shift in timelines didn't change that. The dark magic that resided here made her shiver, and she tried to make herself smaller as so not to touch anything but her feet to the floor.

Regina sat Roland down on an old, battered trunk and swished her hands across his body. His shivers and chattering teeth stopped instantly, and Meredith smiled at the obvious warmth her mother had washed over him.

"Roland you can't be outside right now, it's dangerous," Regina said sternly, gripping the tops of his arms with her hands and bending down so her eyes were level with his. "Your mommy and daddy are going to be so worried about you."

His bottom lip wobbled slightly before he sniffed and nodded. "You have to promise me you won't run off again, you could have been really hurt."

He nodded again, and an idea struck Meredith like flick of a switch as a story Roland had told her once himself flooded to the forefront of her mind. "You know, Regina ... I know you're bound by the laws of magic here, but I think you should let Roland off this time. He looks sorry." Regina caught her eye and frowned, clearly bewildered at Meredith's words. She preyed the Queen would play along. Roland met her gaze in curiosity. "See Roland, you know Regina has powerful magic," he nodded. "Well she's in charge of making sure little boys don't go running away from their mommies and daddies."

His eyes went wide. "What happens if they do?"

"Well ... she ... she has to turn them into toads."

Horror fell on his face, and Regina and Meredith both bit back smiles. Her mother nodded as she caught on and played along. "I'll do you a deal, Roland. If you _promise_ me, hand on heart, you won't run away again," her dark eyes met Meredith's blue ones as she pretended a heavy burden weighed on her shoulders. "Then I won't turn you into a toad."

His shoulders dropped in relief, "you won't?!"

"Only if you promise to ..." She waited for Roland to finish her sentence.

"To never run away from mommy and daddy again. I_ promise_!"

A wide, genuine smile sprung onto her mother's face as Roland flung himself at her chest and buried his head in her hair. She cuddled him back tightly before reaching into her pocket and declaring she would call Robin to stop his worries.

Meredith shook her head at the irony. One day Roland would put the fear of god into her and tell a four year old Meredith their mother was called the Evil Queen because she turned naughty children into toads. Now she guessed she knew where that story had come from. A small smile played on her lips before Meredith began to take in her surroundings. Regina was combing her fingers through Roland's hair while she waited patiently for Robin to answer his phone, and Meredith's feet began to stroll causally around the darkened room.

Her heart stopped as her eyes fell on the chest. The battered old box her mother kept many treacherous dark magical objects hidden from the world. The box which housed Zelena's pendant.

A war raged in Meredith'd head. She could grab it, right now. She could freeze Regina and Roland and make a run for it. She could try to go_ home_. But what if she failed? Her magic may have been stronger but that didn't mean Regina was weak. And if she stole it before her very eyes, Meredith was absolutely sure this version of her mother would kill first and ask questions later. Her eyes were spellbound by the trunk; so much so Meredith was completely unaware that her feet had slowly begun to edge their way closer towards it.

She was nifty, she could pickpocket just as well as Roland could. Not nearly as cleanly or as swiftly as her father, but still, perhaps quick enough for Regina not to notice. But was that a chance she was willing to take? Her heart hammered inside her chest and she inched arm her forwards towards the lock of the trunk when-

"_Don't touch that!_" Her mother's yell made her cold turn cold and Meredith gulped before snapping her body back round.

Roland was now standing next to another box, holding what appeared to be a rabbit's foot in his hand. He looked red faced as her mother scolded him. "It's very dangerous, Roland. Put it back!"

"It looks funny," he said quietly, taking in the animals gnarled limb. Regina moved forwards, shoving her phone back in her pocket, snatching it out of his hand and dropping it back into the trunk before banging the lid shut with a force that made dust erupt in a cloud.

"I said, put it back! It's not a toy!" She sighed heavily as Roland looked down at his feet in shame.

"Sorry," he mumbled before cuddling against her legs. Regina rolled her eyes and caught Meredith's gaze.

"Okay. Daddy isn't answering," she reached down and picked him up, swiftly balancing Roland on her hip. "Why don't we get you back to Granny's, hm?" She asked before muttering, "I'm sure your mother is frantic." More to Meredith than to Roland though.

Meredith's eyes lingered on the chest she had very nearly dared break into as they walked back out into the cold, and left the vault behind in darkness.

* * *

Meredith felt her heart warm as they walked through the snow down main street. Regina still held Roland on her hip, occasionally switching sides as her back obviously ached under his weight. Meredith offered to carry him twice, but Regina shooed her off. Roland more than once proudly announced he could walk by himself, but every time Regina set him down, they ended up walking extremely slowly as he couldn't plough his little legs through the deep snow as fast as they could, and Regina had gotten frustrated with the pace. She had picked him back up again not long after, ignoring the ice cold snow that fell from Roland's boots and onto her jeans, soaking Regina's legs through.

Meredith lovingly watched Regina, as she let her head drop on top of Roland's when he rested his head shoulder and placed a tiny, glove covered hand on her chest, exactly the place her heart was beating. They were lost in their own little world, and it occurred to Meredith that Regina clearly already looked on the little boy as her own.

"Do you think Robin is at Granny's with the other Merry Men?" Meredith enquired a moment later.

"God knows," Regina said rolling her eyes. "Honestly, he has no excuse for not answering his cell. He knows exactly how to use it because of the curse."

Meredith chuckled; even in her timeline, her dad was pretty useless when it came to technology. Not because he didn't know how to use it, mainly because he simply didn't see its point.

But her question was answered as they rounded the corner and said diner met their eye line. Robin was standing just outside the door, looking extremely harangued and stressed and snapping his head back and forth.

"ROBIN!" Meredith yelled across the street.

Her dad's gaze fell on the three, and visible relief washed over his entire body before he moved to run towards them. Roland wriggled his way out of Regina's hold Meredith smiled as he hurried his way to their father. Robin scooped him up and breathed him in, squeezing him tightly to his chest.

"Where on earth were you?!" He half chastised, half cried.

"I got lost," the boy mumbled.

"We found him by my vault. He's fine, Robin." Regina said soothingly.

Robin set his son on the floor before telling him off. "Roland you must never run off from your mother again, do you here me?!"

"Don't worry papa, Regina said she won't turn me into a toad!"

Robin's stern expression turned into one of utter bewilderment, and Meredith bit back a laugh. Regina looked around awkwardly for a moment as he looked at her in question.

"Roland knows all about how magic laws make me turn little boys and girls into toads when they're naughty. But i've promised him I'll let this one slide if he doesn't run off again." Understanding washed over Robin's features and he smiled in gratitude to his love, but before he could say anything, a shout distracted them all.

Marian was rushing towards them, yelling Roland's name in relief. She bent down and hugged him hard when she reached them before running her hands over his body, checking he was unharmed. Just as she opened her mouth to shout at him, Robin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Regina-"

"You?!" Marian's head snapped to the Queen with a look of horror and disdain in her eyes. She stood back upright and stepped towards Regina, who stood perfectly still but looked back at Robin, as though she didn't know what to do or say. "You took him? What, my husband isn't enough, you have to take my son as well?!"

"I didn't _take_ him, I found him!"

Marian snorted, ignoring Robin's and Meredith's corrections to her assumption. "A likely tale!"

Regina sighed, looking exhausted with the whole situation. "Believe what you want, Marian. I didn't take Roland. I promise."

They had an audience now. The Charming's, Henry, Emma, Hook; all the citizens residing in Granny's were spectating from the sidewalks like they were witnessing fisticuffs from some trashy reality TV show.

"You honestly expect me to take what you say on faith?! People in this town seem to have forgotten exactly who you are. Like they're bewitched! They can't remember you're a monster!"

Meredith's eyes watched the women with bated breath as Marian dared to square up to her mother, and then widened in shock as the pretty maiden actually shoved Regina using both hands, hard in the chest.

Regina fell backwards, clearly caught off guard by the outburst Marian had given into. She slipped on the icy ground and would have fallen flat on her back had Meredith not flung her arms out to catch her. She pulled her mother back upright and gulped, feeling very nervous as Regina's expression turned from that of exhaustion to a quiet, cold rage.

"Marian!" Robin scolded, moving forward to Regina, who shot him a glare that made him stop in his tracks.

She snatched her arm away from Meredith, who grabbed Roland's shoulders and stepped them backwards. Regina stalked towards her lover's wife, only stopping when their noses were inches from each other. She narrowed her eyes, ignored Robin's warning to, please, not do anything, and locked her eyes like a hunter to its prey.

"Touch me again. I _dare_ you."

Her words weren't loud, or even really that harsh. But the tone her mother used was doused in malice, and the Queen's lip trembled in anger as she spoke her threat. Meredith felt herself hold Roland closer to her legs as they watched. Marian didn't back away, but her eyes gave away the fear she was clearly feeling.

For a moment, no one spoke. As though they were each waiting for another to make the next move. When no one did, Regina smirked coldly, looking almost proud that her intimidation, the mere tone of her voice could silence someone in seconds.

"I didn't think so."

Without another word, Regina stalked off, leaving a thick tension hanging in the air, and Meredith longing to run after her.

* * *

By the time she made it home, Regina was shaking with anger. How dare that pathetic, no nothing peasant humiliate her in front of her town? Rage boiled through her body and she couldn't resist the need to pick up a vase and throw it at full force against the wall.

It's smash echoed through the house, and it's tiny pieces were left, neglected in the living room as Regina made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a rather sizable glass of whiskey. It burned her throat as she gulped it down, and she pulled a face, not remembering the burn or the taste disagreeing with her tongue in the past. Maybe she was just too angry to enjoy it.

Tears stung her eyes and a hard lump rose in her throat as she replayed the events in her head. She shouldn't have reacted. She should have just kept her big mouth shut. Now Henry would be mad at her for giving in to her dark side and wouldn't believe that she was trying her very best to be good; to be the hero for once. But she couldn't help it. Her hot temper would always be there not matter what side of the fence she fell on. Good or bad.

Marian's words swirled around her head.

_Monster_.

She couldn't really deny it, could she? Regina had killed her, after all. Or at least would have if Emma hadn't been there to save the day. Of course Marian would think she was a monster. Of course she wouldn't want her around Roland. Regina snorted to herself; they would never live in peace together now. Not after this.

There was a small part of her that genuinely hoped that after everything, after they dealt with Elsa and Marian had gotten her head around the fact that Robin was destined to another, that after all that, they would co-exist peacefully. For Roland's sake. She had actually let her mind conjure up a life where Marian and Robin shared custody of Roland, where the maiden would fall head over heels in love with some faceless, nameless man and leave Regina and Robin to live out the rest of their days happily ever after.

What a fool she was, she thought darkly, taking another gulp of whiskey. It burned her throat and she grimaced, looking down at the liquid that tasted so ... different. Maybe it had spoiled, some how.

Her front door opened suddenly, and she felt her shoulders drop. She didn't need to meet him in the hall to know it was Robin.

"Regina?" He called out, eventually finding her propped up against the island in her kitchen. "Are you okay?" He asked, voice full of concern as he pulled her away from the counter and placed his hands on her cheeks, making her look in his eyes. She hated that she let him get away with that, that she let him see the most vulnerable parts of herself, and fleetingly considered jerking back. She didn't though. His touch would always be welcome to her, no matter what context it was in.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over her."

She snorted. "Please. She was just looking for an excuse to have it out with me. Like it's _my _fault we're soulmates."

"She doesn't think that," Robin said, almost pleadingly. Regina knew he wanted nothing more then for them all to get along. "She's just emotional. The past few days have been very overwhelming for her and-"

"And the Evil Queen stole away her husband and then her son."

"No." He said the word firmly, moving his hands from her face to grip her arms and giving her a gentle shake. As though he hoped to gesture would snap her out of her mindset. "She knows you aren't that anymore. Emma and Snow White talked to her."

"That doesn't mean she believes it, Robin. She think's i've got the whole town under some sort of spell! She thinks I've put a spell on _you_!"

"I'll talk to her."

Regina shook her head and yanked herself out of Robin's arms. "Can't you see? She will never let this go. I will always be the Evil Queen to her! How are we ever going to be happy if Marian won't let me anywhere near your son? How will we ever be a family?"

An idea popped into her head. A ridiculous, absurd, absolutely out of the question idea. But Regina found herself getting so desperate for the perfect life she envisioned with Robin that she actually thought it possible. She actually dared say it out loud.

"We could make her forget." She said quietly, breathing her words out and staring into Robin's confused eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"Marian! I can make her forget. I can make her forget about what I did to her, about how I almost killed her. She wouldn't have a real reason to hate me then, don't you see? It's perfect!"

A large part of Regina was alarmed at herself as the words tumbled from her mouth. The good part, the part that belonged to her father, said absolutely no, they most certainly would not be doing that. But the dark part, the part tainted by her mother's rules and Rumplestiltskin's careful moulding had taken over her mind and her mouth. She could make Marian forget all about who she was, and then proceed to live out her fantasy life with the maiden none the wiser.

Robin looked at her as though she'd gone crazy.

And maybe, perhaps, she had.

"Regina ... we can't. You can't. I won't let you do that to Marian."

Hurt tugged at her heart. For the first time ever, Robin actually looked weary of her. "Don't you want us to be happy?"

"Of course I do! But not at the expense of someone else's memories, Regina, are you mad?!"

"She will never let us be together, be happy!"

"How do you know? You don't know her! Marian is sweet and kind and loving. She loves Roland and she loves me, and if I can make her see you for who you really are then she _will_ come round. I know she will. She's a good person, Regina. With a kind heart, and she doesn't deserve what's happened to her." The agony Regina felt in her chest matched the look in Robin's eyes. His words sounded tired and angered all at once.

"What's happened to her isn't my fault, Emma-"

"_Emma_ saved her life! What's happened to Marian is entirely your fault, Regina!" His voice had raised now, and she couldn't remember them fighting like this since their time in the Enchanted forest. Only then it had been laced with attraction ... this ... this was almost laced with malice, and his words cut her deeper than any he'd ever spoken before. "I promised you I would bring Marian round, that I would make her see. You've barely given me a day's chance and you're already talking about casting a curse on her?! You can be so exhausting sometimes, do you know that?!"

"Oh well if I'm such a burden to be around, if you _blame_ me so much then go! You know where the door is, Robin!" Her tone began to match the venom in his, and her trademark defensive anger replaced the hurt and sorrow he had instilled in her. "You have a perfectly fine choice to-"

"I've NEVER had a choice in this!" Robin shouted, making her eyes widen and her words halt. Anger flared on his expression. "Not once since the moment we met have I had a choice in falling in love with you! All the shit you put us through in the Enchanted Forest, all the cold remarks and utter disdain for me and my friends? It should have been enough to put me off, but no! Still I made excuses for you, still I felt myself get drawn in and completely enthralled and I hadn't for the life of me known why until you told me about this fucking tattoo!"

He shot his arm forward and gestured at the ink before slapping his hands back down at his sides in an over exaggerated shrug. "I was never given the choice as to whether I fell in love with you. I _had_ to! This ... want, this need and longing I have for you makes me sick! It makes me so angry, that I've been given a chance any widower would face torture for and I'm throwing it away because I can't bare the thought of not being with you instead! You don't get to be angry, you don't get to be the one hurting over this, Regina. Because at the end of the day, when it's ... over ... _you_ are the one I'll be coming home to. Not Marian. You are not allowed to bitch and moan over us hitting a bump in the road, not when she has literally lost her entire life. Not when I call _you_ mine, over her!"

He turned on his heel and left the house, slamming the door so hard Regina swore the windows rattled.

* * *

She knew she wouldn't sleep that night, and as darkness fell over the town she sighed heavily, tossing and turning under the duvet. She'd taken to using extra blankets since this god forsaken winter had started; but tonight even the cold wasn't bothering her. Regina kicked the throw off her, followed by the duvet, only to pull them over her body again thirty seconds later. She turned her pillow over three times before throwing it across the room in a temper because for the life of her, she just could not get comfy.

It was all his fault. Stupid thief.

His words rolled over and over in her mind as she stared at the ceiling in darkness. Was he right? Did they have a choice in this? She had felt the exact pull he had when they met. That strange connection, the odd understanding and empathy towards him. Back then she had just assumed her willingness to know him had stemmed from the change Henry had brought out in her.

And then she had seen that damn tattoo.

The ink had met her eyes not too long after they had arrived back in the Enchanted Forest. Until then, their heated exchanges had been verging on playful, the sarcasm and back and forth banter had at one point been one of the most fun things about her endless days. His mark had ruined that. The dread and unworthiness she felt as her dark eyes took in the lion's crest engraved in his skin had plagued her; and suddenly her words were laced with venom and she forced her eyes to look upon him as though he was beneath her stature.

He wasn't. He never could be. But fighting with her fear just wasn't something she'd be ready a for then.

She had tried everything she could think of to get rid of him and his little band of merry stalkers. Regina was rude and tactless and never held back her disdain for their lifestyle.

Nothing had worked.

She tried to bribe him, once, and paid good money to get him a set of beautiful gold tipped arrows only for him to simply take them and remind her the castle was the safest place for Roland.

Then she'd felt guilty for trying to kick him out at all.

Snow hadn't helped the situation after that stupid Charming had mentioned the arrows, and her old arch nemesis had cooed "You know ... it's said Cupid only strikes his destined loves with arrows dipped in gold." Regina had silently cursed herself for even giving them him in the first place and longed to wipe the smug look off the brunette's face.

Fate, she decided, had a twisted sense of humor. And so she abandoned it's ideals altogether. She could make her _own_ fate, she had thought to herself after it became clear Robin wasn't leaving her castle. Now, after everything, Regina was beginning to think the joke was on her.

Robin was right. She never had a choice when it came to falling in love with him, either.

She sighed heavily and curled herself further into the thick, warm duvet, willing sleep to hurry up and take her. It didn't.

Her bedroom door creaked open not ten minutes later, and Regina feigned sleep as Robin entered and silently readied himself for bed. It was only when she felt the mattress dip with his weight did her hand shoot out and hit him square in his torso. He froze, and she kept her eyes shut.

"You better be sure you're not still being a jackass before you get in here," she warned, even though he hadn't been. Not really.

"Well ... that depends. Are you still being insufferably bitchy?" He shot back, and her eyes crept open. Regina couldn't stand that she secretly loved how he wasn't afraid to put her in her place. He never had been.

Robin was looking down at her, dressed in nought but a t-shirt and boxers and standing with one leg on the floor and the other bent as though to crawl into bed beside her. Regina's hand stayed splayed across his firm abdomen while they continued to stare each other down.

But she caved first. Because her arm ached. Obviously not because she actually _cared _that they were fighting. She slid her arm away from him and Robin moved himself across the bed on all fours until his face was directly above hers and his arms trapped her between them.

Regina snuggled further down into the quilt, attempting miserably to hide the smile that was dangerously twitching against her mouth. She mentally scolded herself, because she was still supposed to be mad at him, and now he knew he'd won. Robin smiled, rather smugly, hovering his face inches above her own before pressing his forehead against hers.

"I hate you!" She whined, and he barked out a laugh before pressing a loving kiss to her lips.

"You love me," he corrected.

"Don't you have a moth eaten bed at Granny's to sleep in while I stay mad at you?" She grumbled, moving under her blankets so he had room to ease in beside her. Robin pulled her back against his chest and squeezed her body tightly in his strong arms. He pressed his face into the crook of her neck.

"Here was me thinking you'd welcome the extra warmth. What with this dreadful winter we've been having ..." he said lightly; mockingly.

Regina rolled her eyes, but nestled herself closer to his body despite herself. "How did you even get in here?" She said, the thought having only just occurred to her.

"I picked the lock," he said nonchalantly.

She should have known. "You'd best not have broken it," she said, without any real bite. If she was honest, Regina didn't really care. Robin snorted.

"I'm not an amateur, Regina. Besides, your locks really are quite poor."

"That's because nobody but you is stupid enough to break and enter into Evil Queen's house."

She wondered, but didn't bother asking why he was here and not sleeping with the other Merry Men at Granny's. Maybe the rooms were just too full ... maybe Marian had kicked him out. Whatever it was, she found she didn't actually care.

A comfortable silence settled on them, and Regina found her eyes finally falling heavy as he absentmindedly stroked his thumb against her hip, ever-so-slightly creeping up her top so his fingers met her skin.

"I'm sorry," her voice was barely audible.

"Me too," he replied sleepily.

There was a part of her, the part that takes after her mother, that was rolling her eyes in pity and frustration. Because really, she found it both pathetic and fitting that when sleep finally came, it was only because he was right there with her.

**Reviews make me very happy :) **


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Anger filled Meredith as her mother walked away. Regina was holding her head high, but the look in her eyes after her altercation with Marian had given her hurt away. Her eyes followed her down the street, only to be snapped back to reality as Marian pulled Roland from her hands.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Meredith snapped, feeling defensive of her mom. Marian caught her gaze, confused.

"Excuse me?"

"What, no fighting words for me too? Why did you talk to her like that?!"

"Because she's the Evil Queen!" Marian gaped, clearly bewildered as to why Meredith was defending Regina. A voice in the back of her mind was screaming for her to stop talking, that it wouldn't just be Marian who found it strange, but she couldn't stop the rage that filled her chest. How dare anyone talk to her mother like that?

"You seem to have forgotten where you are, _Maid Marian_." Her tone matched her mothers impressively so. "We are not in the Enchanted Forest, anymore! There's no such thing as Evil Queens in this realm!"

"Merida," Robin said, shaking his head slightly. And the rage for Marian switched to her father. Why was he just standing there? Marian was gawping at Meredith as though she'd lost her mind.

"No! You seem to have forgotten it's your job to defend my m- Regina," she glared at Robin, feeling her heart flutter at her near miss. "If we hadn't found Roland, if your so-called_ Evil Queen _hadn't warmed him through we'd probably be on our way to hospital with a hypothermic child right now!" She got in Marian's face, not unlike her mother before her. "Next time you feel the need to throw stones ... you really ought to make sure you're not standing in a glass house first. I seem to recall Roland being in _your _care when he ran off!"

Meredith left them in stunned silence, and stalked off in the direction of Regina, holding her head high exactly the way her mother had.

* * *

He saw her hair before anything else, the bright orange curls bouncing down her back as she walked, standing loudly against the snow, and her bow slung across her shoulder. Robin jogged carefully along the icy sidewalk to catch up with her.

"Merida!" He called. But she didn't stop. "Merida!" He said again as he finally reached her, gripping her elbow lightly and forcing her to halt. She avoided his eyes. "What was all that about?"

He watched as she hesitated her answer, biting the inside of her cheek before finally looking at him. Her big blue eyes were full of turmoil, and he had to suppress the ache to cuddle the girl in comfort.

"I'm sorry," she said, rolling her eyes in a remarkable way that reminded him of someone else. "I shouldn't have snapped at her ... she just made me mad. Roland could have been hurt and Regina helped but she still won't see she's good. That she's changed."

Robin gaged the girl for a moment, nothing but confused at the fierce look in her eyes. He wanted to ask why she was defending the Queen, why she was so sure Regina really had changed her ways. He had been curious of her interest in Regina from the second they met, and now the feeling grew stronger everyday. There was definitely something this girl wasn't saying.

On the other hand, and he didn't know why, but he trusted Merida. He trusted her just as equally as any of his men. Their run in with Elsa and the wolves had made him see the redhead in a new light. Like she was a warrior, she was strong and resilient, and never once had she faltered in helping him even when her own life had been at risk. The girl's face was young but her eyes were wise; he had seen them take in everything with a strange understanding no one else had.

"Merida," he sighed, not knowing what to tell her. "Marian will come round to Regina, I know she will."

She looked at him with eyes full of something he hadn't yet seen in her; uncertainty. "I hope so."

"But why do you care so much? Regina's nothing to you," he asked, not unkindly, his desperate curiosity finally getting the better of him. For a split second, Merida looked startled.

"I _don't_. I just ... I feel like I owe her. She was the one to defeat Zelena, after all. Regina is the only person I have to thank that I'm no longer a winged beast." She said, rather quickly.

Robin frowned, but nodded slowly, ignoring the niggle in the pit of his stomach that she still wasn't being fully honest.

"You should go to her ... she probably won't talk to anyone else, right now," Merida said quietly.

He smiled sadly at the girl, giving her arm a small squeeze before hurrying off to find his soulmate.

* * *

She had stayed out of the way that afternoon, leaving her parents to sort out the mess that currently was their relationship and hung out at Granny's with Henry, Emma and Hook for as long as possible.

More than once, Meredith felt Emma's eyes burning into her, and tried desperately to avoid the blonde's gaze. Meredith knew she was a lousy liar; just like her mother. And just like her mother, this particular savior could _always_ tell when she wasn't being honest.

But Emma never pressed the matter, and as afternoon wore into evening, they laughed heartily at Killian's outrage that disney's Peter Pan was the good guy, while he, got eaten by a crocodile that bore no resemblance to Rumplestiltskin whatsoever. Burgers and fries filled their stomachs, and Ruby joined the fun when her shift ended.

It was quite possibly the weirdest day Meredith had ever had. There she sat, surrounded by her eldest brother, who was now three years younger than her, his mother and her pirate boyfriend, having the most fun she'd had since she'd arrived in this god forsaken timeline.

"What's that?" Meredith asked a little while later, watching as Nova and Blue hurried into the diner, out of the cold holding two large boxes. Blue grimaced slightly as Nova dropped her box heavily on the table Meredith, Emma, Hook, Ruby and Henry were sat at.

"It's a midyear calendar the convent's put together to raise funds." She opened the box clumsily and passed Meredith a shiny new planner, covered in beautiful photographs of nature and animals. "Peter Pan's shadow did quite a bit of damage to the church. We're trying to raise enough to fix things."

"Isn't that Gold's job? He's your landlord," Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nova laughed nervously. "I doubt he cares."

Meredith smiled knowingly. He most definitely wouldn't care. The plastic finish of the calendar shone under the lights of the diner, and Meredith absentmindedly flicked it open to the month of January. She smiled at its picture, satisfied at the cantering steed that graced the page, and her eyes flicked over the thirteenth of the month; her birthday.

Her mind turned, quite suddenly, into a calculator, and she couldn't help the frown that formed on her face as her eyes glued to the date.

Meredith knew she had been born exactly one month to the day, early. A little fact her parents had never quite let her forget; they constantly recollected the bitter cold night a near typhoon had washed over Storybrooke. Apparently, they were just sitting to supper when Regina's waters broke and the lights went out. Roland, frightened of the weather, had locked himself in the linen cupboard and when Henry couldn't coax him out, their father had dragged him kicking and screaming down the stairs before rushing the boys to Mary Margaret's and finally getting Regina to the hospital. They said they should have known from that moment Meredith wouldn't be above making grand entrances just like her mother.

She counted backwards eight months in her head, slowly tapping her fingers one by one on the table as she went. Exactly eight months previous to January 13th 2015 was ... by Meredith's calculations, two days ago.

Her eyes widened as understanding washed over her. Regina had told her and Tinkerbell she and Robin had slept together two days ago. Meredith sat back heavily against the booth, ignoring the mill of people and conversations going on around her as she realised that Regina must be pregnant with her right now.

A conversation she had once had with her mother flooded to the forefront of her mind. She had been not ten years old when she questioned why she had magic and Harrison didn't. Meredith could distinctly remember feeling very envious that her baby brother didn't have to sit through magic lessons with Regina and Rumple and Emma while she was made to every single day. "Because when daddy and I made you, our souls came together, and that's why you have magic," had been her mother's reply. At the time, she hadn't understood her answer, but hadn't bothered pressing the matter.

Now, she realised, she must be so powerful because she'd been conceived the very first time Regina and Robin's heart's, two sides of the same soul, came together. She shuddered down the thought of them going at it, (that was definitely not something to think about), but it did make her smile, that she had literally been the product of soulmates finally connecting. When she finally took her eyes off the calendar and handed it back to Nova, Meredith caught Little John's eye.

The Merry Men dined at the next few tables, and she had to ignore the hurt at his stern gaze; clearly Marian had told her uncle of her outburst. Part of her knew she should probably apologise to the maiden ... but the part loyal to her mother, the part that she reluctantly accepted was just like her mother, wanted to dig her feet in and be as unkind as possible to Marian.

Roland had wondered over and climbed into her lap just as their night was coming to an end.

"Mama said I had to come and thank you for finding me." He placed a hand on either side of her face and planted a gentle kiss to her cheek. Meredith couldn't help the smile that sprang onto her face, and squeezed her brother tight to her chest.

"You are most welcome, little man."

"Come along, Roland." Marian's voice met her ears, and Meredith looked up, rather sheepishly.

Roland climbed off her lap and took his mother's hand. Marian gave Meredith a curt nod before walking from the diner, and suddenly, the side of herself that longed to continue her childish hatred of this woman was beaten down by the side that belonged to her father, the side that scolded being so petty. She hurried after the pair, stopping them in the hall as they made their way to bed. Roland ran ahead at his mother's request as Meredith called her name.

"Marian ... I just ..." She sighed, "I'm really sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Marian smiled kindly and shook her head. "You were right, though. I know what could have happened. I'm very grateful you found him ... I'm ... I'm grateful _she_ found him." She closed her eyes as she spoke of Regina. As though it killed her to speak of the Evil Queen in a manner that wasn't distasteful.

Meredith took in her dad's wife, as though she was truly seeing her for the first time. Dark circles sat under bloodshot eyes, and she spoke as though every word was an effort. Empathy tugged at Meredith's heart; for she knew exactly how stressful time travel could be.

"I don't expect you to like her ... I don't even expect you to trust her, I know what Regina did to you, what she was going to do to you. But ... you have to believe me when I say she would never have hurt Roland. She loves him."

Marian didn't answer, and instead looked down at her feet, biting the inside of her cheek, before finally nodding.

"Little John and Tuck assure me The Ev-... Regina ... would never hurt Roland." Her next words were so quiet Meredith couldn't be sure they weren't a figment of her imagination. "Or Robin. I'm beginning to think not everyone can be wrong about her ..."

An awkward sort of sadness settled over her, and she suddenly had no words of comfort for the pretty brunette before her. She needed her parents together, but the price Marian seemed to be paying was steep. Imagining what it must feel like to be catapulted into the future of a foreign realm against your will, only to find your husband was now in love with your murderer was something Meredith couldn't even bare. Marian, it was clear, was having just as hard a time doing so, but before she could offer any words of wisdom, her father rounded the corner of the diner.

* * *

Robin stopped in his tracks when he saw Merida and Marian standing together. It had honestly been the very last thing he expected. His argument with Regina had wound him up so much, he had done the only thing that came naturally to him, and trekked through the woods to clear his head. The cold air, for once, had actually helped. It had cleaned his lungs and shaken the turmoil from his mind.

He knew what he'd yelled wasn't fair. How he felt wasn't Regina's fault, and if he really hadn't had a choice in falling in love with her, neither had she with him. He knew that, but an old urge to protect his wife, his Marian had bolted its way to the surface as she spoke of cursing her. The madness, the lengths she would go to get a happy ending was something Robin both admired and dreaded of Regina, but as he had walked through the snow covered trees, he knew in his heart that it would never matter what she said, or to an extent, what she did; he would always be in love with her. His choice or not.

Emma had scolded him as he entered Granny's. Something about, "we told you not to go out alone," but Robin didn't listen. His eyes scanned the room for his wife, and left the blonde without words to find her.

Merida excused herself almost immediately, that same knowing look in her eyes Robin had noticed earlier, and he and Marian now found themselves in the sitting area of the room Granny had provided for her and Roland, who was now flat out on the bed in the room adjacent.

Never before had a silence so awkward settled between him and Marian, but now he was standing directly in front of her, Robin couldn't find the words that had been so clear to him just moments before. Marian was looking at him with big, sad eyes. Like a puppy that had been beaten down without understanding why, and it broke his heart.

He didn't want this.

He loved her. Breaking her heart was and never would be on his agenda.

"I'm sorry." Her words caught him off guard, and for a second, he genuinely couldn't recall his reason for standing where he was.

"What on earth for?"

"I know I should have been keeping a closer eye on him. But, ah ... he couldn't walk the last time I saw him."

More guilt filled him. Guilt on both and Regina's part. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily before taking Marian's hands in his own. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Marian. I ..."

"You're leaving me ... aren't you?" Her lips trembled, and the low light of the room only made the tears in her eyes shine more thickly.

A hard lump rose in his throat, and without a word, Robin pulled her closer. She buried her face in his chest as he wrapped one arm around her and held her head with the other.

"I am so sorry," he whispered into her hair, tears escaping his eyes. "I do love you. I will _always_ love you. It's just ..."

"It's not enough." She pulled back, meeting his eyes as he still held her close to his body. He shook his head.

"I am not the man you married any more, Marian. I realise it sounds like an excuse but ... after you died, he died too." A tired sob left her mouth, and she didn't bother hiding the continuous tears that spilled down her cheeks. "You are so ... good. You're kind, and sweet, and gentle. You're nothing but light. But the man I turned into after your death ..." he shook his head, finding it difficult to string a sentence together. His heart and head were both fighting to keep it together as he spoke, but it was proving to be tricky. He took in a deep, shuddered breath. "You would not love that man."

"But I do love you," she sobbed, cupping his face in her hands.

"I'm a murderer, Marian."

His confession earned a gasp, and her eyes widened in surprise. She shook her head and took a step backwards, and now it was his turn to stroke her face with rough, cold hands. "Your death broke me. And the only reason I think I kept breathing was Roland. I knew I had to stay alive for our son ... but the pain, the grief ... it was so great, and the path I turned down was dark."

"That's why you love her, isn't it?" She said, as though she was finally understanding why her love had fallen for such a tainted, blackened woman.

"She is trying so desperately to be better, to redeem herself. I know exactly how it feels to try and claw your way back from the brink of madness."

"How can you even put yourself in the same category as her, Robin? She slaughtered entire towns!"

"How is killing a hundred people any different to killing one? Either way, your heart turns black. Either way you rip families and lives apart. I am no better than Regina is, Marian. You can't see it now because you didn't see me back then."

"You are a good man, Robin Hood." She said, as though she was pleading with him to see sense.

"And Regina is a good woman. She is resilient and passionate, and she loves so fiercely it consumes her. Any evil I know of would never possess such qualities. I am sorry, I am so, so sorry that you're hurting. I'm sorry that I can't be the man I once was," the tug at his heart was too strong now, and he cried freely as he spoke, matching Marian as she sobbed quietly in front of him.

"This is so unfair," she cried.

"It is. It's unfair and it's cruel ... that you should be brought back to me when my heart has finally found a new home. A home it wants."

Marian wept harder at his words, turning away from Robin and dropping her head in her hands.

They were silent for a long while after. And now both sat at opposite ends of the couch, each lost in thoughts and memories and lives lost. Marian sighed heavily, and Robin caught her eye, leaning his head back.

"What are you thinking?" He asked quietly.

"I'm thinking ..." she shook her head, as though she couldn't quite understand why the words were leaving her mouth, "I'm thinking that I don't want to be in love with someone who isn't in love with me."

His brow knitted together at her words, wondering what she meant. She met his gaze and smiled sadly.

"You really do love her, don't you?"

He sniffed out a chuckle and leaned forward, groaning with frustration as his hands rubbed his face tiredly. "I love her so much it drives me mad."

Marian nodded and pressed her lips together, suppressing a fresh round of tears that threatened. "You should go. Go and be with her."

Shock filled his heart as her words registered in his head, and Robin shot his gaze to his wife. She was sitting with slouched shoulders, as though the world had beaten her down, and the image made Robin almost gag with sorrow, but her words, her words were true, and Marian nodded again.

"I just want you to be happy."

"Marian-"

"Robin," she said, her smile becoming more fixed, and she stood as he did, moving closer to his body and stroking her fingers gently along his stubble. "Go to her. Go _home_."

A sob of relief and sorrow and love betrayed him. Robin pulled his wife into his arms and squeezed her in a hug so tight he may have broken her. She pulled back and met his lips in a soft kiss, he returned it without hesitation, and poured every emotion possible into their goodbye. In that moment he loved Marian so much it hurt, but already he could feel the turmoil and guilt of the past few days ebbing away from his conscience, and Robin knew this was the right thing. He was so grateful she had finally begun to understand that Regina really was capable of change, that she honestly wasn't a witch with a spell cast upon the entire town, and when they pulled away, Robin stroked her face lovingly.

"Thank you, Marian."

She nodded one last time. "Goodbye, Robin." Her words cut him deeply, but he turned and walked away without pause, and as the door closed shut behind him, the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders.

He went to her immediately. It was dark, and she was probably asleep, but he didn't care. He needed to be next to her, to breathe her in and hold her close. He needed to be _home_.

* * *

**Okay so I really, really struggled writing this chapter. I'm not all that happy with it, but wanted to put across what was happening with Robin/Merida after his and Regina's fight in the last chapter. The next chapter will mainly be from Meredith's POV with some of Regina in there too. **

**ALSO! I need to massively apologise, because i said in chapter three that Meredith knew she'd been born around 18 months after the ice queen fiasco, and that roland was six years older than her, I didn't however, take into account the missing year ! I completely missed the fact that Roland is now five, so it all works out pretty ****perfectly that Regina is pregnant with Meredith now. Writing time travel sure is confusing! **

**Anyway, I hope you're all still enjoying this story, because i'll be honest right now I'm kind of losing confidence with it :/ **


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**A/N: MASSIVE thank you for all the reviews and support! I know I had a bit of a wobble with the last chapter, but I think it was because it was a bridge into the next part of the story. I've sectioned the whole fic out now and know exactly what will be happening in each chapter, so I feel a lot better about it. Thank you all again! **

**Also, a lot of shit it about to go down in this chapter … you've been warned!**

* * *

She was surprised, very surprised, the next day, when she strolled down to breakfast and realized her dad spent the night. Meredith couldn't stop her eyebrows from hitting her hairline as she threw a look between Regina and Robin, who were sitting closely together, deep in conversation with goofy smiles on their faces at the island in the kitchen. They were still in pj's, despite it not being unusually early, and Meredith guessed they'd had a late night making up for arguing. She cringed at the thought.

"Good morning, Merida," Robin said as she cleared her throat upon entering. Regina muttered something about waffles in the cupboard before kissing Robin's cheek gently and swanning off upstairs to get dressed. Meredith rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smile that spread onto her face as she readied breakfast. Her mother looked like the cat who got the cream, and the secret Meredith held, that her mother was currently pregnant with her, made her nearly just as giddy as Regina looked.

"You finally sorted things with Marian, then?" She asked, popping two waffles in the toaster and turning to her dad. He smiled warmly, and Meredith noted that for the first time since her arrival here, he actually looked like the man she called papa.

"We talked last night. She was actually very understanding in the end."

Meredith nodded, biting into her breakfast and moving to sit next to Robin at the counter. A twinge of sadness tugged at her heart; she knew Marian had not got the happy side of this situation. "I guess she was upset, though, huh?"

Robin nodded as his shoulders drooped. "She was heartbroken."

A moment's quiet settled on them before Meredith reached out and squeezed his hand gently. She smiled sadly, "you did the right thing, Robin."

Their moment was broken at the marvel that was Tinkerbell. The fairy yawned ungracefully, stretching as she shuffled into the kitchen. Meredith bit back a laugh as she grabbed her boots and began lacing up the front of them slowly. Her aunt's hair was a frizzy blonde mess, sticking out of its bun in all directions, and when her eyes fell on Robin sitting in sweats, Tinkerbell stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't hide the ridiculous grin, or the girly squirm of excitement as her hands clapped together in triumph, and Meredith had to stifle the snort of laughter threatening at Robin's expression. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and nodded in the fairies direction, muttering "Tinkerbell."

She managed, barely, to contain herself, and offered a "good morning," right back at him before settling down at the counter and gulping down the juice Regina had abandoned.

"What are you up to today?" She asked Meredith, nodding at her attire.

Meredith had got showered early that morning; butterflies flitted round her stomach too much for sleep to have kept her in bed any longer than it already had. She had been anxious, and excited, all night.

Anxious because she'd agreed last night to meet Emma and show her exactly where Elsa had attacked them, and idea of spending any more time then absolutely necessary with the blonde freaked Meredith out. Anxious because tonight, she'd decided, was the night she would break into her mother's vault and get Zelena's pendant.

And excited, because tonight ... tonight she was opening that damn portal and going _home_.

Meredith had tried to take as much time as possible getting ready. Attempting to tame the out-of-control curls that sprung from her scalp and pulling a dark green tank top over the mane of orange locks that fell down down her back. She'd rifled through her rucksack this morning, smoothing out the few clothes she'd actually taken when she ran off, and shimmied on her comfiest skinny black jeans before securing her quiver to her belt and cuddling into a black hoodie, then finally pulling her leather jacket on the top. She couldn't help the grin that sprung across her mouth when she'd looked into the mirror; because even with the paler skin and ginger hair, she knew black her colour. Her heart had stopped when she'd reached the bottom of the pocket at the front of her bag, and her fingers fell on an old polaroid photograph.

She stroked her thumb gently across it's creases, trying to hold back the tears that sprang to her eyes. It had been fourth of July weekend, two years ago. Granny and Ruby had hosted their annual barbeque on Main Street and the entire town, including a lot of out of towners, had turned up ready for the feast and fireworks. Henry had actually been home that weekend, and she stared down at the old picture, smiling as she remembered it being taken. Henry had pulled Harrison, who was tiny for his age at the time, up onto his shoulders and received a delighted squeal from their little brother. Roland was standing behind Meredith, draping his arms over her and had resting his chin on her shoulder, and their parents stood in the middle. Her mom was beaming, with her arms wrapped firmly around her dad's middle as he held her closely with just as large a smile. It had been one of the hottest weekends on record, and Meredith laughed as she recalled that they'd actually managed to get her mother out of the sensible pant suit and into a beautiful red floaty summer dress. Her heart ached at the memory, and she mentally scolded herself for even forgetting this photo existed, and not cherished, in the bottom of her bag. She'd put it back safely in its pocket and pulled the draw strings of her rucksack closed before dragging it behind her downstairs.

Now she stood, wiggling her feet in her boots to make sure they were fixed securely to her feet and smiled as she pulled her rucksack on both shoulders before answering Tink's question. "I said I'd show Emma where we saw Elsa."

Her dad's expression changed in a heartbeat. "You're going back out into the woods?"

Her eyes wanted to roll, but Meredith stopped them, and instead smiled gratefully at her dad. "I'll be fine, Robin."

"We were almost killed not two days ago and now Emma wants you to go back out there? What's she playing at?!"

"She doesn't want me to do anything! I offered!"

Robin's face turned from anger to outrage. "I'll adjust the sentence then, what the hell are _you_ playing at?!"

"Nothing! I want to help! Emma thinks she'll be able to talk some sense into her."

"I seem to recall you attempting the same thing, and look where that got us." His expression was stern, and so like the father she'd left in the future, Meredith very nearly forgot he wasn't. Tink sat awkwardly between them, gawping at the argument that seemed to have unfolded from nowhere.

"I appreciate your concern, Robin, really I do. But I'll be fine," Meredith said firmly. She would be fine because even if they did run into Elsa, she knew now she could knock her on her ass with her magic; but she couldn't tell him that, so instead she settled for "Emma can protect us. She has magic, remember?"

He didn't look convinced. "You'll take your bow?" She could see plain as day there was an internal war going on in his head. Whether to let her go or not, and the fact that he seemed to be quite this worried had Meredith even more convinced that tonight was most definitely the night she had to get out of this place.

She snorted at his question, "have you ever seen me without it?" An eyebrow cocked and she smirked as he rolled his eyes before returning to his coffee.

Regina was making her way back down the stairs, kitted out in a beautiful fitted black sweater and pants as Meredith made her way to leave.

"Where are you going?" She asked as she flicked her hair over her shoulder, fiddling with the earring she was trying to put on.

"I'm meeting Emma." Meredith opened the front door quickly, attempting to escape before her mom yelled at her as well as her dad.

"Oh, Merida?" No such luck, then. Regina met her at the door and looked back to see if they were alone in the hall. "I know you stayed out most of last night, but is there any chance you can get dinner at Granny's again tonight?"

That definitely wasn't what Meredith thought she was about to say, and she couldn't hide the surprise she felt.

"I want to make dinner for Robin tonight. There's still a lot we have to talk about."

She breathed out an "ohh," and smiled, because it gave her the perfect excuse to stay out of the way and go to the vault without questions of her whereabouts. "Of course, no problem."

And she said goodbye with a nonchalant wave before heading off to meet their dearest savior.

* * *

"You ready?" Emma asked, tugging her coat more firmly around her body.

The air was bitter and wet, and it wasn't raining but Meredith knew by the time they'd made it to the well they'd both be soaked through. The cold was biting at her skin, and she was suddenly thankful her mane of curls was keeping her ears a little warmer than they would have been otherwise.

"Let's do it," she replied, securing her quiver around her hips.

They trekked through the snow in silence at first, leaving the town behind and moving into the tree line of the woods. Meredith underestimated just how long it would take to get there, especially with the snow and ice slowing them down. Emma, she knew, was chancing glances in her direction, obviously wanting to ask her something, and Meredith preyed the blonde would resist the urge just long enough for them to reach Elsa.

"So you and I haven't really talked that much since I got here." It was a statement loaded with curiosity and, dare Meredith think it, accusation.

She chuckled, "yeah well, I don't think being a flying monkey is a great conversation starter."

"Right ... but that was almost a week ago."

"Right ... what do you want to know?" Meredith asked, feeling her palms sweating. If anyone in this god forsaken town was going to ween her out, it would be Emma.

"You're from the Enchanted Forest?" She asked as Meredith nodded, avoiding her eyes. "You've adapted to life here pretty quickly, then."

"What can I say? I'm a fast learner."

"Clearly."

Meredith was panicking now, preying she didn't slip up when it came to this obvious interrogation. Emma's eyes were burning into her as they walked, dodging trees and large snow covered stones as they neared the well.

"We should be keeping an eye out for the wolves, they attacked us around here," Meredith said, attempting to change the subject.

It didn't work.

"You know for a kid you seem awfully eager to help out."

She couldn't help but feel offended. "I'm not a kid."

"You're seventeen ... you're a kid."

"Yeah, well, I'm a kid that's saving your ass, so you might wanna be a little more grateful and a little less nosey. Your trust issues really do suck."

"My trust issues _suck_? See now, this is where I'm getting confused," Emma gripped her elbow and pulled Meredith to a halt, boring her blue eyes into her. "I've been to the Enchanted Forest, and the vocabulary there is a little different to ours. You do not talk like you're from there. You talk like you're just a typical American teenager."

Shit. Her mind worked over time, desperately trying to think of a way out of Emma's suspicions, but as she opened her mouth to defend herself, words completely failed her.

"Who the hell are you? Why are you helping us? And don't bother lying; I'll know if you do."

Meredith had two options; make Emma forget this whole conversation or not bother denying that she wasn't being honest. Only, she knew Emma, she knew that this particular savior had trouble letting things go, so the first option wasn't really an option at all. Sure, Meredith could make her forget, but she knew Emma would only come back to her again with the exact same questions. She took a deep breath, and went for the latter.

"You're right. I'm not from the Enchanted Forest. But I can't tell you who I am, Emma. I'm sorry, I just can't. I'm helping you because I can, because it's the right thing to do. But my agenda here? It's not ... It's my own. And I really, really wish I could tell you, tell _anyone_, but I can't." Emma regarded her for a short while, clearly trying to decide whether to continuing pushing Meredith for answers or accept the one she'd been given. "If you can really tell whenever anyone's lying... then you can tell that right now I'm not."

"Let me get one thing straight; if I didn't need your help, if we weren't out here trying to stop Elsa from turning this town into a giant snow cone, then you and I would be having a very different conversation. Understood?"

Meredith nodded vigorously, feeling her shoulders drop as tension left her body. At least she'd brought herself some time, because by the time Emma wanted any real answers, Meredith was positive she'd no longer be in this time line anymore, anyway.

When they started walking again, she could practically hear Emma's mind working overtime to try and figure out who Meredith could be, but she hoped the blonde wouldn't pry again. There was a small part of her that longed to stop and tell Emma everything, tell her all about the witch and the portal, to drop her stupid glamour spell and show her exactly who she was. Emma had been to the past, she knew how stressful it was, but the major difference was that when she had been sucked through Zelena's portal, Emma had Hook with her. Meredith was completely alone, and that fact only made the want to blab even stronger.

They reached the well within the hour. Meredith stopped in her tracks when she saw it was now completely frozen solid, and her heart dropped because she'd planned to use it tonight once she'd got her hands on the pendant. Emma's voice pulled her from her internal panic.

"This is where you saw her?"

Meredith nodded, swallowing loudly before looking around for the Ice Queen. She was no where to be seen.

"Well ... this was a bust, then." Emma said, kicking a neat by tree in frustration. "Any evidence or trail she might've left will be long gone because of all this damn ice!"

Magic tingled to the tips of Meredith's fingers, and an idea popped into her head. "Can you track her with magic?" She could do it herself, but Emma already didn't trust her, so suddenly announcing she had magic didn't seem like the best move. Emma looked at her in surprise, as though she herself had forgotten she possessed the ability to cast spells.

"I don't know ... I can't exactly control it yet. And Regina couldn't use her magic when she was near Elsa, what makes you think mine would be different?"

"Because when they were stranded she panicked. You tell me, what's the first weapon you turn to when you panic?"

"My gun ..." she said skeptically, and then her eyes widened in understanding. "The thing I feel most comfortable using. Regina would have used dark magic."

"She can't use light magic at will," _yet. _The word very nearly fell from her mouth, and Meredith bit her lip to stop herself from digging an even greater hole. "Regina would have just done the thing that comes most naturally to her. Maybe Elsa can only freeze dark magic."

"Maybe," Emma mumbled, looking down at her hands as though she wasn't sure she was up to the task of more magic.

"Try it, try tracking her," Meredith encouraged.

Fresh snow was gusted up from the ground quite suddenly, it swirled in front of them with a cloud of grey magic, and when it stopped, Elsa was standing before them, looking every bit as beautiful as Meredith remembered. She held her septa casually in her left hand.

"I'll save you the trouble," Elsa said coolly, glaring at Meredith, who stepped backwards out of instinct. "I told you never to come back here."

"Elsa please, we just want to talk.' Emma said gently, stepping closer to Meredith and holding her arms up ever so slightly.

"And what exactly makes you think I want to talk?"

"Look, I know what Rumple did to you, I know you're scared and angry, but we can help you. We can help you control the magic, Elsa."

Elsa and Emma stared at each other. Emma's words were firm, and Meredith knew she truly believed what she was saying. Elsa looked skeptical, and Meredith thought, somewhat amused by the savior's words. Her brow furrowed, and an unnerving niggle crept through Meredith's body. This girl was not behaving as she had two days prior.

"Ohh, you think you can help me!" Elsa whined over dramatically, feigning sobs as though she was poking fun at Emma's offer, and the savior frowned.

"I-I ..." Emma stumbled over her words, unsure what to say next.

"Foolish girl. I do not need your help controlling anything."

Confusion set over her as Elsa's expression moulded into a sinister sneer and her eyes left Emma's and moved to Meredith's. "Tell me dear girl, are you ... unintelligent?" Her eyes bore into Meredith's, unblinking and as hard as steel. "How _dare_ you come back here when I forbade it!" Her voice was booming through the woods, and birds made the tree's shake as her yell scared them form their homes.

"Who are you?" Meredith breathed, eyes widening.

"Clever girl. You've finally realised I am not the poor helpless, Queen you thought."

"Where's Elsa?" Meredith's teeth gritted together, and she brought her magic to the tips of her fingers, ready to act if she had to.

Elsa's impostor cocked an eyebrow before sighing. "I'm afraid Arandelle's beloved Queen served purpose to my life many years ago."

"She's dead?"

The woman gave a curt nod. "I assume as much. I've been encased in a urn for the past century, so you'll have to take my word for it."

Emma chose this moment to pull out her gun and point it steady at this impostor. The woman rolled her eyes and waved her hand lazily; the gun disappeared from Emma's grasp in an instant. The blonde moved back to where Meredith was standing and gripped hold of her wrist. Meredith wasn't sure whether the gesture was comfort for her benefit or Emma's.

"Who. Are. You?" Meredith asked again, eyes narrowing.

Magic washed over the woman. Snow swirled around her once more and her appearance changed as grey magic clouded around her. She was no longer the young, blonde girl in a regal blue gown. Meredith felt her jaw drop as the women before them now stood, at least six feet tall with beautiful long hair, black as night, poker straight as it fell down her shoulders. Her gown was stunning, encrusted in an assortment of jewels and lace that clung to her figure and trailed back across the ground behind her. Around her shoulders, she wore a thick white fur shawl to protect her skin from the cold; her skin that was so pale it was almost translucent. The woman's eye were black, and so large Meredith struggled to notice the whites in them. She was alluringly beautiful, and held herself with a posture that told Meredith she was proud and vain, that she thought herself above anyone and everything. A crown sat on her head, making her ever taller. It was a dramatic head piece, with silver and gold and jewels and glass mashed together to create the ornate halo that stood out against her hair. Her eyelashes were white, in stark contrast to her hollow, black eyes that now gleamed in a frightening delight at Meredith, and Emma, who now couldn't take her eyes off the septa the woman held by her side.

Meredith laced her fingers through Emma's and shook her slightly. She couldn't blink as fear made her blood curdle and her mouth run dry. When the woman spoke, her accent had changed and her words were pronounced so clearly Meredith could almost hear every letter.

"My name is Jadis."

"I don't understand ... if you're this powerful why bother hiding up here? Why were you wearing Elsa's face?" Emma found her voice before Meredith did, but it was laced with fear, laced with an uncertainty Meredith wasn't used to hearing her use.

"Rumplestiltskin sort me out many years ago, seeking help with a problem he faced in Arandelle. I happened to be in need of assistance with a certain problem I had, and a deal was struck. I agreed to trap poor Elsa if he told me a way of defeating the king of the dominion I had long claimed as my own."

"You broke your deal?" Emma breathed.

"HE broke our deal. That treacherous Imp assured me the king could be killed on the great stone table of our realm, but after I'd completed the deed word reached me that he still lived, that the sacrifice he'd made meant the deep magic would stop him from truly being murdered. I knew then the ancient prophecy would come to pass ... that I would indeed be over thrown by two sons of Adam and two daughter's of Eve. That I would meet my death at the hands of a lion. And well ... I was not about to let that happen, so I traded places with the human girl, slave to my curse. I encased myself in the urn, and let her be destroyed in battle wearing my face and unable to stop her fate."

Her words swirled around Meredith's head as horror fell over her and she realised who she was. Sons of Adam ... daughter's of Eve ... the stone table, the deep magic, and ancient prophecy; the stories were ones Meredith had grown up reading in Belle's library.

"You're ... you're the White Witch. Queen of Narnia ..."

"Narnia? Are you freaking kidding me?" Emma blurted out, as though she couldn't believe what was happening.

Meredith quickly looked down at her hands as a sudden thought occurred to her; this woman was one of the oldest witches Meredith knew of, and yet she had been so easily blasted back by Meredith's magic ... she tried hard to think back to the stories, to the chronicles that she had loved reading so dearly as a child to remember whatever she could about the White Witch now standing before her. It hit her suddenly, and Meredith snapped her head back to up catch Jadis's glare.

"You're not as powerful on earth."

Jadis snarled.

"That's why you've been hiding up here. You've been what? Biding your time?"

"I may not be at my full strength yet, _daughter of Eve_, but I assure you I soon will be. The magical properties from this well are making me stronger every second. You will not best me quite as easily as you did during our first meeting."

Emma's head shot round to Meredith questioningly, but Meredith ignored her.

"And what exactly do you plan on doing when you do get your strength back, hm? You can't take over the world, Jad-"

She pointed her septa threateningly at Meredith, and she and Emma moved back further. "You will address me as Queen, _girl_, or I will turn your heart to stone! You will leave these woods this instant. Go! NOW!" Emma gripped hold of Meredith's arm and pulled her, and as they ran, Jadis's voice bellowed once more. "And tell Rumplestiltskin he will rue the day he ever tricked me!"

Meredith felt nothing but deja vu as she ran with Emma through the woods and back into town, and she preyed Jadis wouldn't set her wolves on them again. Both remained silent as their feet carried them, overwhelmed by the revelation that Elsa was dead, that one of the universes oldest witches was out to get them, and Meredith felt a familiar burning in her lungs as her legs ached with her hard run.

When they reached the tree line of the woods that over looked Storybrooke, Emma stopped them to catch her breathe. "Oh this is bad ... this is so, so bad. Why can't I have just one day's peace without some power hungry disney jackass trying to destroy us?!" The savior was holding her knees as she gulped for air.

"We have to tell the others," Meredith breathed. "I'll go and get Gold and Belle, you go and get Regina and your parents. Meet me at the library after."

"Why the library?"

"Because we don't have a hope in hell's chance of defeating her without researching, and the Chronicles of Narnia are in the library."

Emma looked at her, exhausted at the notion of yet another villain to take down, but nodded as she sighed heavily before running off to get Regina, David and Snow.

Meredith ran in the opposite direction, but slowed as she watched Emma run out of sight. She stopped and pressed her lips together, fearing being out here all alone, but confident Jadis wouldn't attack without being at her full strength. She double back in the direction they'd come from, hoping she'd bought herself enough time to get to Regina's vault while Emma was distracted running all over town. Meredith's feet pounded the ground as she ran.

She couldn't believe it. Her heart ached for Elsa, the poor, innocent girl who had been killed so cruelly because she couldn't control her powers. A silent gratitude to her mother fell on Meredith's heart, that she had been taught so meticulously to control her magic from such a young age. The only time her powers had ever got the best of her was when she'd been overly emotional, when she'd been furious or devastated at her mother (undeservedly so, she saw now she looked back, but at the time she'd been a bratty child, and so easily overcome with mood swings and emotions).

Meredith was so distracted by her thoughts she completely missed the large stone her feet caught, and she went flying through the air, landing with a heavy thud. The wind was knocked out of her for the third time that week, and she groaned heavily as she shakily stood up to her feet, turning to see exactly what had tripped her. Her heart jumped into her throat.

It was Sneezy.

The dwarf had been completely encased in stone, huddling over in the fetal position on the ground, with his hands covering his head and a pained expression on his face. Jadis had done this to him, seemingly for no good reason, and a hatred bubbled in Meredith's belly at the witch as she recalled the other snow covered stones she'd seen as she'd run through the forest. Jadis had clearly been right, the magic from the well that Rumple had brought to Storybrooke when Emma had broken her mother's first curse was obviously feeding Jadis's magic, making her stronger every day.

She felt her lip wobble slightly as she knelt down and patted the stone, longing to be strong enough to break it, to help him from his prison, but even as Meredith willed the magic to her palms, nothing happened. Sorrow and dread washed over her when she thought of the other dwarves; his family, and when she stood again, it was with a new determination to return to her own.

Tonight, she would get the pendant and go home.

* * *

Regina set the steaming food down on the table as Robin grinned out a hum of appreciation. She grinned back, lighting the candles she'd placed in the middle of the place settings with a click of her fingers.

Dusk was setting over the town, and with Tinkerbell out with Ruby, and Henry holed up safely in his bedroom, (with a promise to "not come out for fear of seeing you two kissing again"), she and Robin settled to dinner after Regina had spent the day with Henry, and Robin had gone back to check on Roland and Marian.

"This looks wonderful, thank you," he smiled, and she couldn't help return it as she leant in to kiss him.

"I just figured we've only ever really had one real date. And it was lunch time, so I don't think it counts."

He chuckled as he bit into his meat loaf. They ate in a comfortable silence, and when the plates were eventually done with, she poured them both more wine and clinked her glass with Robin's.

"To ... our future," she smiled before taking a sip, a gesture he returned lovingly.

"I noticed a bottle of MacCutcheon in your cabinet the other day, do you fancy opening that?" He asked, and Regina made a face.

"I had to throw it away yesterday, it had gone bad."

He gawped at her. "Regina ... that was a sixty year old bottle of whiskey ... it can't go bad!"

"It tasted funny!"

He frowned, but didn't press the matter, going back to his wine. "So ... has m'lady prepared dessert too?" He asked with a smirk.

"Easy, Mr. I slaved over a hot stove all afternoon for you. I think _you_ should be in charge of dessert."

He leaned into her, capturing her lips with his, and she smiled into his kiss. "A task I will gladly take on."

Robin deepened their kiss, and Regina set her glass on the table before wrapping her arms around his head.

"Robin," she breathed between kisses. "We," kiss, "have," kiss, "to talk," kiss. And her head went so fuzzy she forgot why. Robin pulled her chair closer, and his grip on her waist felt firmer as he ignored her words and ran his tongue along her bottom lip. A moan escaped her mouth, but before she could compose herself and push him back, the dining room door swung open and Tinkerbell rushed in.

They broke apart fast, but Regina was still adamant the fairy had seen because her face was flushed. Though that may have been from the cold. Ruby followed not far behind, and Regina rolled her eyes. Robin had left his arms around her waist, and she, her hands on his strong shoulders as she glared at the green fairy and wolf-girl.

"Yes?! Can I help you?!" Her voice was stern.

"It's the dwarves ... they can't find Sneezy."

"So?!"

"So ... we thought maybe you could do a location spell!" Ruby stuttered, obviously far more aware of the situation they'd walked in on than Tink was.

Regina narrowed her eyes as Robin's head fell on her shoulder through nothing but frustration. "I'm a little bit busy here, Tink! Go bother someone else!"

"But Grumpy said they haven't seen him in hours! What if Elsa has him?"

"I'll give Elsa_ you_ in a minute if you don't get out my house! Go and ask Blue to help you!"

The fairy grimaced at her words; Regina was well aware that even though she had her wings back now, Blue wasn't exactly Tink's favorite person.

"But-"

"GO!" She sighed as they left, shutting the door with a bang slightly louder than it would have given unless it was being slammed, and Regina rolled her eyes. "Sorry about that ... where were we?" She grinned as his lips met hers once more.

"I believe I was trying to distract you from talking about something."

"Ah, yes. That pesky talking I was trying oh so hard to do."

"Talk later ... kissing is much better for now. And you did put me in charge of dessert," his eyebrows wiggled at her as he smirked and rested his head against hers, pulling her bottom lip with his teeth slightly. She laughed and pulled away before swatting his shoulder.

"We can't do this here, not now. Henry's upstairs." Robin let out another sigh, and dropped his head once more to her shoulder. She smiled as she raked her fingers through his hair. "I want to talk about yesterday."

When he met her gaze again, his expression had turned more serious, and Regina had to swallow the fear that threatened to stop her opening up to him.

"You ... you said you didn't have a choice when it came to loving me." Her voice was small, and she avoided his gaze, instead choosing to tug at the last button of his shirt. One of his hands moved from her waist and into her hair, and Robin pulled her head up so she had no choice but to look into his eyes.

"No ... I don't believe either of us have had a choice in this," he said quietly. "But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing, Regina. It doesn't mean I don't _want_ to be in love with you. Quite the contrary. I _love_ being in love with you. You're passionate and sassy and beautiful, and good grief do you drive me crazy." She laughed at his words, feeling tears press against her eyes. "I don't think fate ever have given us a choice in this; but if the rest of my days I'm to be madly in love with a woman of destinies choice, I couldn't be more thrilled that it's you."

"I suppose ... being in love with you isn't quite such a terrible fate for me, either."

"Even if I am ... what was it you called me once? A 'common pilferer with sticky hands and eyes that wandered too far above his stature'?"

Regina snorted at his words; _her_ words, and she shook her head in comical shame of the way she had treated him during their time in the Enchanted Forest. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh really?!" He chuckled as he brought her closer, and once more caught her lips with his own.

And then she heard the front door open and close once more, and as Regina gritted her teeth and cried out in frustration, as she silently decided to pummel her little green fairy, Emma, David and Mary Margaret barged into the room.

Something was wrong.

She could tell from the expressions they wore immediately, and Regina frowned, moving back from Robin.

"We have a serious problem."

"Where's Merida?" Robin asked, and Regina suddenly noted the redhead's absence.

"She's fine, she went to get Gold. _Listen_ to me ... Elsa's dead."

"What?!" Regina and Robin chorused together.

"This witch, the one that attacked you and Merida the other day ... it's _not_ Elsa. It's the original Ice Queen."

"Regina," Snow interrupted, holding her step-mother's gaze with grave concern, "It's Jadis. It's the Queen of Narnia."

"I thought she was killed years ago?!" Regina was standing now, feeling panicked. If the White Witch that legend spoke of really was here in Storybrooke, things really were about to turn bad. Very, very bad.

"No," Emma breathed desperately. "She switched places with Elsa,_ she_ is the one who's been in the urn in Gold's vault all this time."

As Robin, Emma, David and Snow all began a deep discussion, Regina felt her body freeze, and as though someone had cracked an egg over her head, she felt an ice cold sensation run down her body. Every hair on her body stood on end as magic wavered through her, making her body shudder and her blood curdle.

When the feeling eventually stopped, Regina's heart hammered in her chest and she gulped for air, grabbing hold of Robin's arm for support.

"Regina, what is it?" He asked, voice full of concern as he brought his hands to hold her up right.

She met Emma's gaze with a look of horror, anger and confusion. "It's my vault ... someone's breaking into it."

'What?! I thought you locked it with blood magic?" David asked.

"I have no idea ... Emma, you come with me."

"I don't have my gun, Regina, I don't know what use I'll be."

Regina rolled her eyes and turned her palm. A puff of purple smoke surrounded her hand and she produced a hand gun before their eyes. 'Well now you do." She turned to Robin. "You guys get Henry and take him to meet Merida and Gold."

She made to move from Robin and over to Emma, but his hand grasped her wrist. "This could be dangerous, I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine," she replied, stroking his face and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. He nodded gravely.

"You ready?" She asked Emma, who nodded, and before they both knew it, Regina transported them in a cloud of purple to stand in her mausoleum.

* * *

Meredith was working fast, but not fast enough. Her fingers fumbled with the old, battered chest she knew housed Zelena's pendant. The cold made her hands stiff, and she could see her breath as her chest puffed in and out through panic. She had to hurry, if she was going to get to Gold and then to the Library before Emma figured out she was gone.

Her hand throbbed from the deep gash she'd created to open to lock, but Meredith was careful not to spill any blood anywhere, and had since wrapped the wound up in an old handkerchief she'd found in her jacket pocket.

The chest sprung open as she yanked at it's heavy doors, falling back slightly. Meredith pulled hard on the top draw and snatched the ugly green necklace from its home.

She grinned, feeling hope suddenly coarse through her veins when suddenly-

"YOU!"

Her mother's voice met her ears, along with the click of a gun's trigger. She froze in her position, feeling nothing but utter panic and desperation as her mind worked through what her next move could be. Meredith brought her hands up slowly and turned.

Regina's gaze was hard, she looked outraged and angry, but above all, Meredith noticed she looked hurt. Her mother's expression made her heart ache, and she swallowed audibly, feeling tears rush to her eyes.

"I trusted you!" Regina spat.

"Regina ... please, I-"

She never got to finish her sentence. Her mom's hand shot out in front of her, her hand gripped the air, and all of a sudden Meredith's throat closed off and her feet were lifted clean off the ground. She gasped for air, tugging at the invisible hand around her neck. Emma lowered the gun slightly, looking between Regina and Meredith as though she didn't know what to do next.

"Please ..." Meredith managed to choke out, and her mom's expression faltered. She dropped Meredith hard on the ground. Tears shone in both of their eyes as Meredith looked up from the concrete and into Regina's face.

A lump rose in her throat. Now, she really was screwed.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**A/N: Okay so I felt mean leaving you all with a cliffhanger, hence the quick update! Thanks so much for all the reviews, I hope I replied to them all? I really wish I could reply to all the wonderful guests who are reading this too! You all rock. **

**So, now we know our beloved Elsa is no more! I'd always planned to have her killed in this story, so I'm really sorry for anyone who loved her. I love her too, but in my eyes she just isn't a worthy big bad for the show. Which brings me onto Jadis … I'm SO glad she went down with a hit for you all! I'm really hoping this is the character they've brought on for Elizabeth Mitchell to play, because I love the chronicles of Narnia so much, and think it would be an amazing arc for the show to explore in 4B! A girl can dream anyway!**

**I apologise now for any mistakes, I'm un-beta'd and it's late here. My bad! **

**Also, I'll say I'm sorry now … because if you thought the last cliffhanger was brutal then this one will leave you up sh*t creak without a paddle! **

* * *

They threw her in jail.

Meredith looked around the small cell, trying to decide which between sitting on the bed or leaning against the bars would piss Regina off more. Her mother was seething, and for the first time in her life, Meredith found she was actually slightly frightened of her. She stood gingerly in the middle of the cell, looking down at her feet.

"Who the hell are you?" Emma asked, moving closer to the bars that segregated Meredith from them.

"Why are you stealing my things?!" Regina demanded.

Meredith stayed quiet, knowing if even the wrong sound escaped her mouth, she would be push her mother over the edge. She pressed her lips together in an attempt to stop them wobbling, to stop the sobs that threatened from breaking out her mouth.

"Answer me!" Regina yelled and Meredith jumped. The Queen moved up close to the cell and gripped the bars with both hands so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Are you working with her? With Jadis?" Emma asked, and Meredith's head shot up in outrage.

"What? No! No I'm not-"

"_Who are you_?" Regina asked again. Her voice was louder this time, and there was a bite to her tone that sent shivers down Meredith's spine. She met her eyes and gulped, stepping backwards until her legs hit the edge of the bed. "How did you get into my vault?! It was locked with blood magic! Tell me who you are!" Meredith stayed silent. "WHO ARE YOU?!" She yelled, finally giving in to her rage.

Quite suddenly, Regina stepped back and made the cell door swing open. Meredith's knees gave way, through stress or fear or defeat, she wasn't sure, and she hit the thin mattress with a heavy thud.

Her mother stalked towards her before bending at the knee so their eyes were level.

Now she was terrified.

"You are going to tell me exactly who you are, and what the hell you think you're doing in my town ... or I am going to crush your heart."

Regina's words were curt and instructing, as though Meredith didn't have a choice but to comply. Her bottom lip betrayed her then, and it trembled with fear and sorrow as Regina brought her face closer to Meredith's, a coldness behind her eyes.

"Please, Regina," she started, her voice trying to overcome the painful lump that lay thick in her throat. "I can't-"

"Wrong answer," her mother replied, and before Meredith knew it her body was overcome with a crushing pain that emanated from her heart.

Her mother had plunged her arm inside Meredith's chest and now squeezed the beating heart that sat there; the beating heart Regina herself has made from scratch inside her own body, that currently grew with the fetus being nurtured in her womb.

Meredith couldn't do anything but look into Regina's eyes. The pain was almost unbearable, and her breath had been taken away. Her blood curdled as her mother's fingers curled around the organ, squeezing it just hard enough for tears to spill down Meredith's cheeks in a continuous flow.

"Regina-" Emma's voice sounded distant.

"You have until I count to five to talk," Regina said slowly, ignoring the blonde and staring, unblinking into her daughter's eyes. "One."

Their foreheads were nearly touching as Meredith bent forward, trying her hardest to gulp for air. Her mind raced. She was going to die; her mom was going to murder her if she didn't tell them who she was.

But she couldn't. It was too dangerous, she couldn't tell them anything in case it messed up the timeline.

"Two."

She wouldn't give in. She wouldn't tell them. Regina wouldn't actually kill her, Emma surely wouldn't let her? The pain worsened. The tight, crippling sensation was beginning to overpower Meredith, and suddenly Regina's nails dug into her heart.

"Three."

Her head felt foggy as the lack of oxygen began to take its physical toll. Maybe she would tell Regina ... maybe they wouldn't freak out. It probably wouldn't even mess the timeline up that bad anyway. She could just make them forget.

"Four."

She locked eyes with her mother, faces not an inch apart, and wordlessly begged her to stop. She needed air, she needed the pain to stop so she could catch her breath and regain her words. Meredith shook with fear and agony as she choked out a word.

"I'm ..."

It hurt. The pain was too much. She had to talk, she had to tell her or she would die. But the foreign object in her body that was her mother's hand was too distracting. Her body complained at the intrusion, and Meredith had to squeeze her eyes shut and grit her teeth before trying to speak again. Perhaps Emma was yelling, but suddenly all Meredith was aware of was the two of them. Mother and daughter, life and death, friend and foe.

"I'm your ... I'm-"

"REGINA!"

And her dad was there, suddenly, yanking Regina's arm back out of Meredith's chest so hard her mother fell back against his legs. Meredith crawled up the bed and huddled against the wall in the corner, coughing and spluttering and sobbing as oxygen flowed back through her body and relief washed over. Robin, The Charming's, Hook, Henry, Gold and Belle had all joined them at the station and Meredith gulped for air, barely aware of the yells happening around her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Robin shouted as he pulled Regina off the ground; they squared up against each other.

"She broke into my vault!"

"And you think that warranted murder?!" Mary Margaret's voice asked sternly. The princess pushed past them into the cell and sat down besides Meredith. She rubbed her back gently, checking she was unharmed.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I wasn't actually going to _kill_ her! I just wanted her to talk!"

Robin opened his mouth to shout again, but Emma interrupted. "Look, it doesn't matter! The fact is this girl's been lying to us. She tried to steal Zelena's pendant, and my guess is not for anything good._ And_ she told me she isn't from the Enchanted Forest."

All eyes fell on Meredith, but she found words completely evaded her. Robin moved closer to her and knelt down in front of her. She brought her knees further into her chest and sobbed. She sobbed so hard she couldn't breathe. The stress and loneliness of the past week was finally catching up with her; she had almost mauled to death by wolves, turned to stone by the White Witch, and now her own mother had almost murdered her by squeezing the life out of her heart. A shuddered gasp for air overcame her body, and Meredith squeezed her eyes shut as tears spilled out of them, over and over, running hot down her cheeks. She coughed and cried and spluttered so much she thought for a second she may be sick, and lent over the edge of the bed, putting her feet on the ground and her head between her knees as she pressed the heels of her hands hard into her eyes. Mary Margaret's hand gently rubbed her back as her muscles tensed and she wailed. She wanted nothing more than to go _home_; to fall into her parents embrace and forget all about the nightmare she was in.

"I just want to go home!" She wept loudly, and her dads hands came to rest either side of her legs. His face was close to hers, and she could breathe in his familiar, comforting smell.

"Merida," he said gently, very quietly, as though his words were just for her. She looked up, and saw his face fill with concern as her eyes met his. "Why don't you tell me everything?"

"I _can't_!" And more sobs escaped her mouth, which she covered tightly with both hands.

"Merida, I can't help you if you don't talk to me. You can trust me, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

Her teeth bit into her bottom lip so hard she thought she may have drawn blood. Regina's eyes were boring into her, but when Meredith caught her eye, her mother's mood seemed to swing from that of anger to ... shame? Concern? Meredith couldn't tell. Her eyes were shining with thick tears, and Meredith felt a fresh lot of sobs wrack her body. She let her head drop onto her dad's shoulder heavily, and cried nonstop as his hand replaced Snow's and he rocked her back and forth.

* * *

Regina swallowed the cries that threatened her eyes too. Merida looked so small, so helpless and lost as she sobbed on Robin's shoulder. Guilt settled in her stomach. She knew she shouldn't have gone for her heart, but the rage and betrayal that had overcome Regina when she'd clapped eyes on Merida in her vault was completely unequalled to anything she'd felt since Snow had blabbed about Daniel. She tucked her hair behind her ear and cleared her throat, motioning for Mary Margaret to move out the way as she moved closer to Robin and the redhead.

When Regina sat down, Merida turned from Robin and flinched as she tried to place a hand gently on her back. She froze her arm midway as the girl leaned away, terror falling on her face that made guilt tug at Regina's heart even more. Her hand fell limply in her lap, and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs, and it was like the three of them were in a tight-knit circle.

"Merida ... I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I scared you, but I'm just ... I'm just so angry with you."

The girl snorted through her cries, and wiped her bright red cheeks with the back of a hand ungracefully. "You think being angry means you're allowed to go around pulling people's hearts out?! You know ... I never really understood all the stories about you until now ... you really are the Evil Queen."

A single tear betrayed Regina, who pressed her lips together at Merida's words. The same words that Henry had spoken when she'd gone one step too far. Words that had haunted her from that day to this. An uncomfortable silence settled on the small jail as Merida continued to cry and Robin caught her eye; his expression was full of sorrow, though Regina wasn't sure whether any of it was for her, from the words Merida had just uttered, or all just for the teenager he was currently holding in his arms.

She squirmed with shame. "Look, Merida ... my vault was locked with blood magic. Nobody but myself or a relative could get in there. Except, all of my relatives are dead. Just ... just tell me how you got in there. You're not .. some poor long, lost daughter of Zelena's are you?" Regina asked, nodding at all the red curls sprouting from the girls head, and Merida's jaw slacked in horror.

"What? NO! I'm not _Zelena's_ daughter!"

"Look, Regina ... just back off for a moment, okay?" Robin's words met her ears, stern and to the point. She locked eyes with her lover, trying to decide whether to let him take charge of her or whether to fight him ... she went for the latter, and sighed, rolling her eyes as she got up off the lumpy bed and moved out of the tiny cell.

Henry was sitting at the desk, fiddling with Merida's rucksack and swinging absentmindedly back and forth on his chair. Regina moved to stand next to Emma and the rest while Robin quietly attempted to get Merida to tell them just exactly who she was.

"You found anything, kid?" Emma nodded at the bag in Henry's hand, and he rifled through it, carelessly pulling out the few clothes tossed lazily inside. A fresh wave of anger hit Regina as her mother's spell book was tugged out of the top, and Henry grimaced over at her, handing it over gingerly.

She snatched it from his hand and turned to glare at Merida, but the girl was too busy sobbing on Robin's shoulder to notice anything.

"Well. That solves that one, then. Alright you," Emma said, glaring at Gold with her arms crossed before Regina could start making another scene. "Start talking."

He snorted, looking offended, and Regina had to resist the urge to throttle him for feigning such ... 'innocence'. "I'm afraid I have no idea to what you're referring."

"Jadis is pissed because she said you broke your deal with her. What the hell did you do?"

"Ah, I have only ever broken one deal, and it certainly wasn't hers. She's just bitter because she didn't bother reading the small print of our contract."

Regina cocked an eyebrow. "You mean you tricked her into signing something that meant you got everything you wanted and she got nothing in return?"

"Rumple ..." Belle's voice said quietly from behind her husband. She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Please ... just tell us what happened."

He sighed heavily, resting both hands on his cane. "After I first encountered Elsa, I knew I wouldn't be able to contain her by myself. Her magic was too unpredictable, and her emotions were all over the place, so she had no control over it. I decided to ask the person who cast her curse on Elsa to begin with."

"Wait ... Jadis was the reason Elsa had magic?"

"Indeed. Jadis was first brought to this world by a boy named Digory, many, many years ago. He, I believe, stumbled across her after entering the realm of Charn through a portal in his uncle's attic. He accidentally awoke Jadis from the magical tomb she'd encased herself in. She tricked him into bringing her back here because the population of Charn had been obliterated during a great war between Jadis and her sister, and she wished for a new dominion to rule over-"

"She obliterated an entire population?" Mary Margret asked, clearly horrified.

"She did more than that, dearie. She used the deplorable word."

Regina felt the colour drain from her face as she took in Gold's words. "Are you serious?"

"What the hell is the deplorable word?" Emma said, frowning.

"It's the darkest magic there is ... using it destroys every living organism in the entire realm you're in. Jadis knew she was about to be defeated by her sister's armies ... so she spoke it. The whole world of Charn disintegrated before her eyes."

"Wow ..." Emma said before catching Regina's eye, "and I thought you had a screw loose."

Regina sneered at the blonde, catching sight of Robin and Merida, who were now listening intently from inside the cell. Gold continued his tail.

"After Digory brought Jadis here, she tried to take over this world, but there was no magic here. Her powers didn't work the same, and she grew weaker with every passing day. When she eventually tried to start hurting people, Digory reopened the portal and he and Jadis were transported to a Narnia. Aslan-"

"The lion?" Emma all but snorted, skeptically. Gold's jaw clenched, clearly frustrated the blonde continued to interrupt him.

"Aslan was a man ... the greatest king that realm ever saw. Legend spoke of a lion because of his bravery in war, not because he really was a jungle cat, Miss Swan. _Aslan_," he continued, "saw the darkness in Jadis and banished her to the north to live out the rest of her days. Jadis was so angry with Digory for bringing her to Narnia that she cast a curse on the boy; that every first born in his bloodline would suffer with powers of a season she would be forced to look on for the rest of her days, from their births to their deaths. Digory was so frightened he jumped back through his portal, but never made it back to this world. Instead, he ended up living out the rest of his days in Arandelle."

"So Elsa was a descendent of Digory?" David cut in. Rumple sighed before nodding.

"Unfortunately for Aslan, the price of speaking the deplorable word meant Jadis was now immortal, and she spent the next nine hundred years building an army so deadly that when she came down from the North, she claimed the realm as her own and brought down a winter so fierce it lasted for the next hundred years.

"What I was not aware of at the time, was that when Jadis first arrived in Narnia, an ancient prophecy was foretold; that a great and terrible White Witch would rule in Aslan's stead, and that she would eventually be overthrown by four children and killed by a lion. After a hundred years of reigning, four children did indeed stumble across Narnia, and Jadis panicked. That is when I sort her out. She agreed that if I helped her figure out how to kill Aslan-"

"Hold on, this guy's been alive for a thousand years by this point, how is that even-"

Gold snapped at Emma's interruption. "Aslan is the creator of an entire realm, he can never truly die! He will always reappear in Narnia at times of great turmoil or significance."

"What happened next?" Regina's head shot to her right as Merida spoke, holding the cell bars and drinking in Rumple's story.

"I found out that Aslan could be killed on the ancient stone table and simply relayed the information back to Jadis."

Emma's face screwed up. "But you just said he could never-"

"Maybe if you let the man actually finish a sentence, we'd make more sense out of it all!" Regina snapped at her, feeling almost as frustrated as Gold.

"Aslan sacrificed himself so one of the children, who had been manipulated by Jadis into deceiving his brother and sisters, could live. What Jadis didn't anticipate was the deep magic, the magic that created Narnia ... if a person were to be killed on the stone table in the stead of a traitor, the stone would crack, and he would be reborn. This, I'm afraid, is where my knowledge becomes less so; because I was under the impression Jadis had been fooled by Aslan's death and trapped Elsa in the urn for me when I took the girl to Narnia."

"You kidnapped the girl from Arandelle?" Hook piped up, breathing out an exasperated half laugh.

"Well how else would I have gotten the Black Fairies wand from Hans?" Gold said simply, shrugging, as though he didn't understand why everyone seemed so upset over the fact he'd kidnapped and held an innocent girl against her will. Though, Regina reasoned, that's pretty much exactly what he'd done to Belle. And she married him.

Silence settled heavily on the group as they took in what Gold had relayed. Emma looked round gravely at the others. "Jadis is getting stronger because of the magic here. She told us that she switched appearance with Elsa so Aslan would kill her thinking she was the witch, and she trapped herself in the urn so she could escape her fate.

"If we don't take her down now, before she reaches her full strength, well ... we really will be in a sticky spot," Rumple finished, darkly.

* * *

Meredith swallowed at the Dark Ones words. He was right, only something was bothering her more and more the longer she thought about it. Her mother, it seemed, had exactly the same idea.

"But ... she can freeze dark magic ... just how do you propose we defeat the oldest witch known to man when the only prevailer of light magic we have struggles to do even the simplest of tasks?!"

"Hey!" Emma whined, offended by Regina's words.

Meredith suddenly felt sick. Regina was right. There was no way in hell they would be able to defeat Jadis without light magic. _Strong_ light magic, and she thought back to how easily she'd been able to blast the witch back when she and Robin had been attacked two days prior.

The sobs her body had been overcome by had subsided when Rumple had begun his tale. She had moved off the bed and stood next to the bars as night settled over the town. Her dad hadn't moved far from her side, a comforting presence Meredith was so grateful for she very nearly started bawling all over again. She avoided looking at her mother, still frightened and heartbroken that Regina had nearly killed her, and as Meredith had taken in the Dark One's tale, she had mulled over the frustrating lack of options she had to get herself out of this situation.

"Emma's trying her best, Regina." David said, squeezing his daughter's shoulder.

"I have faith in you, love. You can defeat this bloody witch," Killian said, looking into her eyes as Meredith watched fear cloud over Emma's expression.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, barely able to believe the words were about to leave her mouth.

"No. She can't."

Everyone's gaze moved towards her, some frowning, some curious; her mother cocked an eyebrow, as though she was unsure whether to take an interest in Meredith's words or carry on yelling at her.

"What makes you so sure of that?" Snow asked, a slight bite to her tone. She held Emma's arm, standing the other side of her daughter to David and glared at Meredith.

"Because she isn't strong enough." She turned her gaze onto Gold, who was regarding her with a deep curiosity. "Tell me ... I know you're not in the Enchanted Forest anymore, but are you still in the business of making deals?"

His eyebrows raised, and Meredith knew she had peeked his interest further. "Well ... that would be entirely dependent on what exactly you want."

She took a deep breath and avoided Robin's questioning gaze. Anger built in Meredith's stomach; at the witch who sent her here, at Jadis, at herself ... but mainly, at her mother. How could she never have truly understood what it meant that her mom was the Evil Queen? To Meredith, Regina had always just been ... mom. Now, as her chest ached from its earlier assault, she realised just how cruel and spiteful her mother could be, just how right those stories were, and suddenly Meredith gained a new found understanding of all the townsfolk that she cursed. She glared harshly in Regina's direction when she spoke her next words.

"I want Zelena's pendent, and I want Cora's spell book."

"Over my dead body!" Regina yelled, moving closer to the cell. This time however, Meredith didn't back down. She stood taller and moved to meet the Queen on the other side of the bars, sizing her up and not breaking her gaze. She could feel Robin move beside her, now standing in the doorway of the cell, directly between the two, and completely at a loss of who to talk down first.

"You will give me both of these things. You will not ask what I need them for, or who I am, or what I'm doing in this town. You will _trust _that I'm not here to hurt anybody, and you'll make sure no one lays a finger on me."

Her words were for Gold, but her eyes never left her mother's, and Meredith smirked childishly as Regina's expression turned to outrage, her top lip trembling with anger.

"And just what, exactly, makes you think you could elicit such things from me?" The Imp snorted.

Now, she turned her eyes back to Gold. "Because ... if you do these things for me. _I _will take down Jadis for you."

A loud silence pressed in around the group. Robin took a step back towards Regina, who in turn rocked backwards on her heels just slightly. Meredith knew her words had caught the Queen off guard; had caught _everyone _off guard.

"How would you take her down?" Emma breathed, not blinking.

Meredith sighed, taking a step backwards and waving her hand in front of herself somewhat lazily. Her parents, along with everyone else, recoiled back as the cell bars completely disappeared in a glow of blue and white magic, and Meredith cocked an eyebrow with pride as she crossed her arms.

"With magic."

"You ... _you have magic_?" Mary Margaret said, utterly gobsmacked. Meredith rolled the eyes and bit back the phrase 'no shit, Sherlock'.

"If you have magic ... why do you need mom's spell book and pendent?" Henry asked, seemingly the other person not quite so phased by Meredith's revelation. He had stood from the desk and moved towards her, but Regina had pulled him back by the shoulders.

"_That_ is a very good question," she said as Henry shrugged her arms off and went back over to the desk.

"You want my help with Jadis? You won't ask questions."

The terms of her deal were simple enough, even if the thought of actually taking on the Queen of Narnia made Meredith's knees quake. The group were completely at a loss for words, and Meredith could see the internal battle each person was facing. She rolled her eyes before swooshing her hand once more and making the cell reappear.

"Don't worry, I won't run off and leave you. You can lock me in here if you want."

Emma's eyebrows raised. "Like that would do much good?!"

"Please," Meredith snorted, "I don't need magic to get out of here ... your locks suck. I could pick them in my sleep. Just ... take it as a sign of good faith. I will stay in jail." She turned her gaze to Belle when an idea struck her. "Belle can keep hold of the spell book and pendent while I deal with Jadis."

Eyes fell on the pretty brunette, who hunched shoulders up. "I don't mind that."

No one spoke for a moment, each locked in a silent conversation through facial expressions and caught gazes.

Gold moved forward towards the cells after a moment, "well ... it seems ... we have a deal."

Before Meredith could let herself feel the triumph of actually worming her way out of being caught red handed stealing her mother's possessions, a noise made her jump.

Henry had knocked Meredith's rucksack over, which in turn, made a pile of papers fly off the desk and scatter on the floor. Belle moved to pick them up with Snow as Regina lightly scolded his carelessness, but Henry, Meredith noticed stayed completely rooted to the spot.

She frowned, taking her brother in before her eyes fell on his hands and blood drained from her body.

Henry was staring down, open mouthed, at the old polaroid photo Meredith had stuffed in her bag that morning. He shot his head up to her and before anyone could notice the silent exchange between them, she shook her head, pleading with her eyes that he wouldn't talk.

Curiosity, it seemed, got the better of him, and he stuffed the photo in his pocket quickly. Meredith's heart hammered in her chest as the group then moved onto their next debate; whether to trust Meredith enough to leave her in jail over night. After a good ten minutes of arguments, (mainly from her mother's part), and feeling herself sweat under Henry's gaze, Meredith finally snapped.

"Look, I'm not going anywhere, okay? Belle has the things I need, and in case you haven't noticed, it is freezing outside. I don't have anywhere to sleep! Trust me, this jail cell is probably more of a kindness than a hinderance."

Looks were exchanged, but eventually, Meredith bid goodbye to the A-team, and promised that as soon as morning came she would tell them her plan to defeat Jadis. Which gave her a good ... eight hours to actually come up with one.

Henry's eyes never left her, and she avoided his gaze like the plague before finally throwing herself on the uncomfortable bed in the cell as the lights switched out and they all left the station.

Meredith was completely fresh out of tears, having cried herself dry on her dad's shoulder just hours before, but the longing for her home, and her family had never felt stronger. Stressed thoughts ran at a thousand miles an hour through her mind, and Meredith looked round as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. It was cold in the station, and she had to pull the thin blankets up to her chin and huddle herself into the pillow as much as possible, desperately trying to keep hold of the warmth quickly leaving her body.

She lay like that for at least an hour, willing sleep to come and take her exhaustion away but knowing it never would. The look of betrayal on her mother's face, along with the feeling of her fingers curled around her heart weighed heavy on Meredith's mind. She thought back to the strange little witch who had sent her here, to the mere five days prior when she'd arrived (though now it felt like she'd been here for an eternity), and her words swirled around her mind. _I'll make her understand, my dear_, she had said. At the time, Meredith had just assumed she was talking crazy; but now she thought back, she realised that the witch had to be talking about her relationship with her mother. _I'll make her understand_ ... a frown formed on her face, because if these few days with her moms past self had taught Meredith anything, it was that Regina was not the only one who needed to understand her daughter, but in fact, the other way round.

A light caught Meredith's eye, and she shot up quickly, pulling fire to her palms, ready to attack whatever or whoever was creeping around the station so late, (and Emma had taken her bow off her). She breathed a sigh of relief and extinguished the flames when her eyes fell on Henry, who was holding a torch and making his way over to her cell.

Meredith moved from the bed, ignoring her body's protests at the tense position she'd been stuck in, and met him at the bars. For a moment, neither sibling spoke. But only for a moment.

"You shouldn't have come here, it's dangerous outside," she said sadly, knowing exactly what was coming.

He said nothing and held the old, battered photograph of their family up, shining the light in her eyes.

"Who are you?"

Meredith sighed, feeling a fresh load of exhaustion drown her. She really wasn't strong enough to do this anymore. Her lip wobbled as a lump rose in her throat, and Meredith closed her eyes, letting the magic leave her body.

When she opened them again, Henry was staring at her, wide eyed and jaw slacked.

She hunched her shoulders as he took in her true appearance.

"I'm your sister."


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**A/N: You guys literally blow me away with all of your reviews, follows and faves. Seriously. You rock.**

**Without further or so … enjoy!**

* * *

Henry's face went blank, just for a second, as he took in the magnitude of Meredith's words.

"You're ..."

She looked at him somberly with the corners of her mouth cast down. "A witch sent me here in a time portal," she said quietly.

After a moment's silence, he spoke. "You ... what are you here to change?"

And her face fell, because she was appalled he would even consider all of this was her doing. Then she remembered he didn't actually know her, so why wouldn't he have thought that? "Nothing! I've been working my ass off trying to make sure absolutely _nothing _changes ... I have no idea why she did it. _Or _who she was."

He was quiet as he took in her real face, and the expression on his told Meredith that Henry had about a thousand questions, but couldn't decide on which to ask first. She could see the cogs of his mind working overtime as he tried to figure out his next word or move.

"You look just like her," he said eventually.

She barked out a laugh as tears sprung to her eyes. Finally, after drowning in the weight of her secret, she could finally release a breath Meredith hadn't got a clue she'd been holding onto from the second she'd been sent to this timeline. The weight of the whole world lifted from her shoulders as relief that she finally wasn't all alone here anymore took hold, and she gripped the cell bars harder to stop herself from crying out. "I can't hear that enough."

Henry glanced down at the photo and then back up into her eyes. "Your dad's Robin?"

Meredith nodded, and the smile that sprang to Henry's face was infectious. It was the answer he wanted, she could tell, and she knew she shouldn't say anymore, that anymore details could be dangerous ... but from the second his hands had found the photo, Meredith had made a mental note to create a forgetting potion for him, so what was the harm in a few details of the future, really?

He stared back at the polaroid, stroking his thumb gently over its creases. "That's Roland?" He asked, pointing out their brother.

"Yeah ... the little one on your shoulders is Harrison. He's our little brother ... he's such a goofball," she chuckled.

"When was this taken?"

"Fourth of July ... it was a couple of years ago though. Harrison's a little bigger than that now. He was seven then, I think."

Henry couldn't take his eyes off the picture in his hands, and a warm, genuine smile tugged at his lips. Meredith was thanking the gods he seemed to be taking all this in his stride, as opposed to freaking out. But then again, she reasoned, his grandparents were Snow White, Prince Charming and Rumplestiltskin, so having a sister come back from the future probably didn't phase this kid. Not nearly as much as it should have.

"She looks really happy."

He didn't need to say her name for Meredith to know exactly who he meant.

"She is," Meredith replied quietly, smiling sadly as her eyes fell on the photograph in her brothers hands, trying to ignore the niggle of hurt that tugged at her chest. Not for the first time that night, she had to remind herself that the woman who's hand had nearly squeezed the life from her heart was _not _her mother. Not yet, anyway.

"You really have no idea why you were sent here?" He said, scrunching his face up and finally setting the torch down by his feet. Meredith's arms slapped down to her sides dramatically before she collapsed back to sit on the cell cot. Henry sank into the chair in front of its bars and waited for Meredith to answer.

"Beats me ... I had a huge argument with mom and ran away." She snorted after finishing her sentence, because looking back now, the entire thing seemed ridiculous. Her childish behavior towards her moms discipline in light of everything that had unfolded over the past week now seemed so petty even Meredith couldn't stop her eyes rolling at the memory of her own outburst. "I was so mad I didn't pay attention to where I was walking and the next thing I knew I was in the middle of a part of the woods I'd never been before, and this idiot old lady turned up and started talking crazy. She told me she could change my fate, and then I blacked out. When I woke up I was by the tree Emma was brought to this world in and it was eighteen years in the past."

"She definitely didn't say anything about changing the past?"

Meredith shook her head. "The only coherent thing I got was that she would 'make her understand'"

He frowned. "Make who understand?"

"I don't know ... mom, maybe? But your guess is as good as mine if you wanna know what exactly she's supposed to get."

Meredith lolled her head back against the cell wall and huffed out a sigh while Henry processed her words. "You have magic," he said quite out of the blue, as though it was a fact he'd only just remembered himself.

She smiled politely. "Yeah. I don't really use it that often, usually."

"I don't get it then, why do you need Cora's spell book? Zelena's pendent?"

"Because I have no idea how to get back home. Emma could reopen the portal with her magic when she and Hook went to the past; I've done nothing but will this one to open for me again and it just won't. I just ... I thought that if I could harness the last spell Zelena's magic cast using her pendent, I'd be able to open a portal and go home." Henry nodded at her words, finally understanding Meredith's actions. "I took the book because I've never used dark magic in my life. Opening a time portal is about as dark as it gets."

"Does Harrison have magic too? Like my moms?"

She shook her head lightly. "Nope. Just me."

"I don't understand ... you're both the product of true love, like Emma."

She froze then, because how could she explain to her twelve year old brother that the reason she had magic and Harrison didn't was because she'd been conceived at the very moment her parents souls had connected for the first time? Would he even understand what that meant, at this age? The thought still made her cringe, and the last thing Meredith needed was to explain to her brother just exactly how it was women got pregnant.

She shrugged nonchalantly, and then lied through her teeth. "Not all babies born of true love have magic, Henry. I'm pretty sure the only reason Emma does is because she's the savior. I have no idea why I have magic and Harrison doesn't."

She held her breath as he processed her words, then felt relief flood her body as he nodded, accepting her words on faith. And thank god too, because_ that_ would have been very awkward.

"So ... what's the future like, then?" He said sitting forward, as though he'd decided now his important questions were out of the way, he could start asking the ones he really wanted to answers too.

"Uh-uh. I'm not divulging anymore secrets. No spoilers, okay?"

"Come _on_! You're my little sister from the future! Do you know how cool that is?" Meredith couldn't help but smile at his excitement.

"Henry, I don't know if I'll definitely be able to make a forgetting potion for you, I-"

"You're gonna make me forget?!"

She sighed. "I have to. If you know anything it could be dangerous."

"I don't understand ... how?"

"Because, let's say for instance I told you that ... I don't know, you will become president one day," she said, pulling a random example out the air. When she caught Henry's expression she widened her eyes and back peddled immediately. "You not! But, if I told you that, you might spend your entire life trying to make sure that happens, and in doing that you could actually make sure it _doesn't_. Does that make sense?"

"I think so ... it would be like interfering with fate."

"Right. Hence the forgetting potion, only ... I've never made one before. And I have no idea if I'll be able to get all of the ingredients."

"My mom definitely has the ingredients in her vault."

"Right, because she's really gonna let me in there without murdering me for real next time." Meredith snorted, a hint of bitterness in her voice that Henry didn't miss.

His shoulders dropped, and a sadness fell over his face that Meredith wasn't used to seeing in her brother. "I'm sorry she did that to you. If she knew why ... if she knew who you were, she never would have."

She shrugged her shoulders, pretending she wasn't bothered about what had happened. Quite the opposite; Meredith was in fact heartbroken that her mother had nearly killed her, but she wasn't about to tell Henry that. His eyes continued to bear into her. She knew he wanted her to open up, that her nonchalant shrug towards their mothers actions was a lie, so before he could press her further, she snaked a sly smile across her face.

"You really wanna know about the future, huh?"

His eyes lit up. "Yes!"

She grinned. "Okay, well firstly, my name isn't Merida. It's Meredith Locksley."

"Locksley?" He asked with a frown before getting up and gently pushing the cell door open. Meredith smiled as he sat next to her on the bed, drinking in her words.

"Yeah, see when I'm from, Storybrooke isn't cloaked by magic anymore. There are three neighboring towns, and none of them know about magic or who we all are. Mom and dad decided when they got married to be Locksley because otherwise people might find it strange that one of the deputies is genuinely called Robin Hood."

"When will they get married?"

"Soon. I wasn't born when they did, and if my calculations are right, I'm pretty sure mom is actually pregnant with me right now."

Henry's eyes widened. "She's pregnant?!"

"I think so ... but she won't know that yet. She'd only be like ... a few days in, so you can't say anything!" Meredith looked at Henry with stern eyes as he nodded.

"This is so cool. What else is happening in the future? What do I do?"

She rolled her eyes slightly, but couldn't help grin right back at her brother. Henry's moods had always been infectious. He had always been the brother she could most relate to. Roland wound her up too much for Meredith to ever get close to him, and Harrison was, as much as she loved him, just her annoying little brother who always got his way, (in her eyes, anyway).

"You're a book editor. You moved back to New York for college and have just travelled back and forth since then really. You're coming home this weekend though, mom's been planning this huge fundraiser so they can finally rebuild the old toll bridge, and-"

"The toll bridge still hasn't been repaired?"

She chuckled. "Nope. It's like a long standing joke in Storybrooke now, but the other towns started to get whiney about it, so mom said she had no choice. There was a huge storm a few years ago that pretty much disintegrated the whole thing, so ... anyway, you're coming home for that. And because you wanted to introduce us to your fiancé."

Henry's eyebrows hit his hairline in shock. "I'm getting married?! To who?!"

"I have no idea," she laughed. "I've never met her. You haven't really been together very long. You told me it was love at first sight."

"Does she know ... about who we are?" He asked, suddenly quite seriously.

Meredith nodded. "She isn't actually from this realm. In all honesty the fact you met in the middle of Manhattan is kind of a miracle. You said you were walking home from a late night meeting and that you saw her ... climbing out of a manhole in the middle of 34th street wearing a wedding dress." Meredith laughed at the image. "She was sent here by a Queen because she was due to marry into the throne. She's from a realm called Anadalaisa. Her name's Giselle."

"Giselle ..." Henry breathed, smiling warmly.

Meredith's heart swelled. It was the first time in almost two months she'd been able to talk to her brother like this, and while he may not be the man she knew, while he knew nothing of the things she was saying and nothing of the time she was from, Meredith had never felt closer to him. She knew she should stop talking, should reign herself in with the details but suddenly it was like word vomit. She'd been holding everything together so securely for the past week that now someone finally knew she couldn't not tell them everything. Stories were falling out of her mouth like there was no tomorrow, and Henry, she knew, was loving every word.

"This is so nice," she said, tearing up and squeezing her hand in his. "I haven't seen you in like ... two months."

"You must come to New York to visit me, though, right?"

"New York, yeah, sometimes. But you're not always there. See ... magic might not be known in our world still, but it's definitely not just in Storybrooke anymore. It's an issue Gold's had his eye on for a while now; he and Belle have been keeping tabs on the amount of magic this world holds, and it's been getting bigger every year. You're not always in New York because you spend a lot of time traveling to visit the places that have magic. You're like ... the guy they call when something goes wrong with it."

Henry stared at her, slack jawed and wide eyed. "I'm like ... an avenger? Of _magic_?! Awesome!"

She snorted at his reference. "I guess. Anyway, you and Giselle have been in New Orleans for the past few weeks. I think you told mom something about a witch doctor. I'm not really sure," she said, scrunching her face as she tried to remember what their mom had told her. If she was honest, she hadn't been listening to a word because at the time Neal was texting her constantly, and the buzzing of her cell on her thigh was highly distracting.

"What about my mom?" He asked, and then corrected, "about Emma?"

"Emma and Killian are still together. They live in a boat at the docks. Emma is still a deputy, the sheriff's station is a little bigger then this now the town's grown. Dad's a deputy too. David's still sheriff. Killian helps out at the docks most days, but he and Emma pretty much spend their time sailing at the weekends since you moved."

"Are they married too? Do they have any kids?"

"Nope, just the two of them. They're not married either. Though I don't think that's through lack of trying; I'm pretty sure Hook's proposed every year since I was born. I think it's just a ... weird tradition now, that she always says no," she chuckled.

"What about Mary Margaret and Neal?"

Meredith winced slightly at her boyfriends name, trying to decide if telling Henry she was dating his uncle would be best or not, that little fact had been weird enough for her to get her own head round, let alone Henry. She went for the latter, and lied once more.

"Snow still teaches at the school. Neal's in his senior year now, but last I talked to him he still didn't know what he wanted to do afterwards." She paused before she carried on, letting all the information settle in Henry's mind. "Roland is kind of a gypsy round town. He helps out at pretty much every shop there is. Usually, he works behind the bar at the Rabbit Hole; but he'll help out Ruby in the kitchens at the diner every now and then, or in the garage, or at Marco's. Little John and Tuck set up a small summer camp program in the woods like ten years ago, so sometimes he goes and helps teach the kids archery. Like he's a lothario in town; I swear he has a different girlfriend every week."

Henry chuckled. "He hasn't found his true love yet, then?"

"Not that I know of. Actually, saying that he always seems to go back to Alex. She was his first girlfriend, but they've been kind of on again, off again for years. Mom and dad always say the two of them are like what they were before they settled down. Kind of love, hate I guess."

"Alex ... Alexandra? Cinderella's daughter?" Henry said, surprised.

"Yeah. She's a couple of years younger than Roland. But a hell of a lot smarter," Meredith said, sniggering.

Henry smiled at her. "It kind of seems like life's pretty perfect in Storybrooke, then."

"Yeah ..." she replied, looking down into her hands and feeling a deep ache in the pit of her heart. Now Meredith sat and thought about it, life in her Storybrooke, in comparison to this one, definitely was kind of perfect. She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought of all the times over the past few years she'd told her parents how much life sucked, or how angry she got at having to do her chores or her homework, having to be presented and shown off as the perfect little mayor's daughter at some bullshit event her mother would have organised. What she wouldn't give now to slap on a pretty dress and a wide grin and tell some rich moron exactly how great Storybrooke was and why they would benefit from a cash injection to a charitable cause of some sort. Her brow furrowed at the longing for the life she had once hated so much, and it was only when Henry cleared his throat did Meredith look up and realise tears had welled thickly in her eyes.

"Meredith ... what are you gonna do about Jadis?" Henry asked, very quietly and very seriously. His face was full of sorrow, as though now he actually knew the real her, he understood the magnitude of the deal she'd made with Gold.

Meredith shuddered mentally at the thought of going up against the White Witch, but pressed her lips together and reached forward to gently stroke Henry's cheek. He may be the big brother she would always go to in times of crisis; but right now he was just a regular twelve year old kid, and worrying him was just pointless. "I'll think of something, don't you worry about me."

"You're my little sister, though. How can I not worry?"

She smiled warmly at his concern. "Because, no matter how true that is ... I'm pretty badass when it comes to magic. Trust me. I've blown up our house like three times." His eyes widened as she laughed, and he smiled a small smile, but still didn't look convinced. "It's late, Henry. You need to go back home. If mom catches you out of bed she'll throw a fit ... she's already tried to kill one of her children tonight, let's please not make it two," she said, breathing out a laugh as she tried to make light of their current situation.

Henry's shoulders sagged slightly, but he nodded and moved up off the bed without argument. As he reached the cell door, he pressed the polaroid into Meredith's hands and then surprised her by wrapping his arms around her middle in a warm teddy bear hug. She chuckled before squeezing him back, breathing him in and resting her chin on his head. Even eighteen years in the past, he was still her Henry, and that fact warmed her heart more than anything.

"Good night, Meredith." He said.

"Night, Henry."

As he turned to walk away, she grabbed hold of his arm. "You don't think I'm letting you walk do you? There's an ancient psychotic witch on the loose, do you really think I'm gonna let you wander home this late by yourself?"

"But how else-"

"Close your eyes," she said smiling.

He obliged after a brief skeptical look in her direction, and Meredith couldn't help the excitement bubble up in her tummy as she was finally able to use her magic for something good. Henry disappeared in front of her in a cloud of blue and white magic, and she chuckled to herself at the thought of his reaction when he ended up back in his bedroom.

When she settled back down on the uncomfortable cot, Meredith sighed contently at how much lighter she now felt. The stress of the past week had all but completely disappeared, and even though the prospect of taking on Jadis loomed at the back of her mind, Meredith could honestly say it was the best she'd felt since arriving there. She raked her fingers through her hair, smiling at actually being able to comb through the silky soft, black as night tresses that now cascaded down her shoulders and back. She had missed her hair, she realised. The curls, beautiful as they were, were also unruly and heavy on her head, and got in the way of the simplest of tasks. Meredith took one last look at her dark locks before willing her glamour spell back; the last thing she needed was for someone else to surprise her with a visit when she wore her true appearance.

She felt warmer, she realised as the moon set higher in the sky and reflected off the snow that blanketed the streets outside, making the night not quite as dark it should have been. The fact that Henry knew was the only thing that made Meredith drift off the sleep, finally.

* * *

Regina stared out at the starry sky through the window. She hadn't bothered closing the curtains when they'd finally fallen in an exhausted heap into bed earlier. The moon was high, and bounced off the snow, making the night not quite as dark as it should be.

Sleep would not come to her tonight, she knew.

Her mind swirled around at the events that had unfolded, and while the guilt of nearly frightening a young girl to death lay heavy on her diaphragm, the most unnerving thing she felt was that really, deep down, she had been so angry she wasn't sure if she actually would have killed Merida.

Who the hell was this girl? She had to be related to Regina; there was no way in hell she could have opened the vault if she wasn't. And why, in god's name did she need her mother's spell book and Zelena's pendent if not to do something bad? Nothing either of those two had ever done was good.

And then there was Jadis. There had been many legends of the White Witch back in the Enchanted Forest; ones that had even made Regina grimace at the thought of. Now she was here, in her town, threatening world domination, and Regina had no choice but to put her trust in the hands of a seventeen year old girl who had done nothing but lie through her teeth since they'd met.

Robin lay on his back, sleeping soundly in bed next to her; one arm raised above his head and the other lying gently across his chest. But the expression he wore whilst locked in the dream world wasn't his usual one of peace, and Regina knew what she had done, and how Merida had lied was playing on his mind too. She turned on her side to face him, slowly reaching out and stroking the side of his face.

She moved her hand down to rest over his heat as he stirred.

"Can't sleep?" He asked through closed eyes.

"What gave you that impression?"

"Because you're thinking so loudly I can hear it."

She grimaced beside him. "Sorry, i just ..." she sighed heavily and turned to lie on her back once more, staring out at the moon. "... I don't know what to think. What if I'd have killed her, Robin?"

"You wouldn't have."

"What makes you so sure? I was so angry ..."

"You wouldn't have killed her Regina. Merida may well have made your blood boil; but you're not that person anymore. Don't ever forget that."

She nibbled on her bottom lip, utterly unsure of whether his words were right or not. But they made her feel better, so she turned her head and gave him a gentle smile. Robin was still on his back with his eyes closed, and as Regina took in his semi-sleeping face, love made her heart swell so unexpectedly she almost teared up.

"Do you want to know the first time I realised I was in love with you?" She asked him out of the blue.

His eyebrows raised in surprise and he chuckled. "What, you mean it wasn't the very second you laid eyes on me?"

She grinned, but ignored his joke. "Do you remember the night Zelena blew up the east wing of the castle?"

"How could I forget? I distinctly remember you blaming the entire event on me."

He couldn't see, but she rolled her eyes anyway. "Well it was your night on watch!"

He laughed, repositioning his arm slightly so his head lulled against it. "Yes, I remember that night, what of it?"

"I told you that I didn't trust you to watch over everyone when they had to all sleep in the banquet hall, and said I'd take watch instead, just in case she came back with more monkey's. You were being so annoyingly honourable and wouldn't let your shift go so we both sat outside the doors all night ... it was then. I knew I was in love with you that night."

"Well forgive me for being so blunt, but you had a very funny way of showing it," he laughed again. "We did nothing but bicker from the second we sat down until the second you woke up."

"Not when we were fighting, you idiot. We both fell asleep, and I when I woke up before you I was completely curled up against the side of you." Regina smiled at the memory of waking up, warm by his side and feeling safer than she had in years. "Our limbs were all tangled and my head was tucked right here," she reached over and stroked his chin, "and I just knew. I stayed awake like that for as long as I could while the sun came up before untangling myself from you ... just in case you woke up too and saw you were snuggling with the Evil Queen."

Robin opened his eyes then, and they stared deeply at each other from across the bed. He breathed out a quiet half laugh as he gaged her. "Regina ... I don't remember that night so vividly because of what Zelena did. I remember it so well because I never fell asleep."

"What?" She asked, leaning back from him as he smiled.

"You were pretty pathetic on night watch, let me tell you. You fell asleep after about an hour. I was awake for the entire night."

"You ... you were awake while I was ... lying all over you?"

"Of course I was. Just because I was closing my eyes doesn't mean I was asleep."

"But ... why didn't you shove me off of you then?"

"Because, you foolish woman. I knew by that point I was completely in love with you too."

Regina laughed, finally moving over to lie on top of him and Robin's arms snaked around her waist. She leaned in to catch his lips lovingly with her own before combing her fingers through his hair. "We wasted so much time fighting each other," she said sadly.

Robin moved one of his arms to stroke her hair, followed by her cheek bone and then finally, he ran a thumb over her jaw and bottom lip. "It doesn't matter ... we're here now."

"That's if a crazy ice bitch doesn't freeze us all to death, first."

"She _won't_."

"You really think Merida can take her?"

He sighed. "I have no idea. But one thing I do know, is that when she attacked us the other day I definitely hit my head on that stone. Hard. I knew I was bleeding, and when I came too there wasn't a mark to show for it."

"You think she healed you?"

"She must have. I don't know if she's strong enough to defeat Jadis alone, Regina. But I trust her. I can't explain it, I just do."

"I just want to know who she is. And how the hell she opened my vault."

"I know you do, I do too. But threatening her, or pushing her won't be the way to get the answers you want. Just give her some time, I'm sure she'll come round."

She nodded slightly before tucking her head under his chin. Robin stroked her hair methodically, and as they fell to sleep, Regina decided that if Robin trusted Merida, it was good enough for her. A deep, apologetic speech began to form in her mind and Regina finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Some feelsy's for you all at the end there. I may well write that night in the EF in my one-shots 'Castle's in Maine' if people would like it? **

**I know not all questions have been answered about the future yet; namely what happened to Marian and why didn't Regina and Robin tell Meredith what really happened all these years ago, but it's coming, I promise. **

**I also added some little easter eggs into this chapter; I love it when you notice the little details I try including. If anyone can name some in a review I'll PM you a spoiler ;) (If you want one!) **


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**A/N: Very sorry for delay in update! To make up for it, this chapter is pushing 10K!**

**A few people reviewed asking if when Jadis called Meredith 'daughter of Eve', in the chapter before last, did that mean anything, and the answers no. It's really great you're all delving deeper into what the white witch says, i'm so happy you're paying attention to all that detail, but in the movies that's pretty much all jadis calls humans; (sons of adamant daughters of eve), so she was just saying it because she doesn't know what else to call Meredith! Sorry if that confused anyone.**

**All mistakes are mine; there will definitely be some there as it's really late here and my space bar it sticking, so my bad if some words are ****stuck together. I'm not overly confident writing action, so I hope everything makes sense! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Meredith's heart hammered as she ploughed through the snow on Main Street, heading towards Granny's so early it was, technically, still dark out. Gold and Regina had demanded they keep Meredith in jail; Emma had quashed them and said if they kept her behind bars without a decent explanation, the whole town would question it; the last thing they needed was more panic over a sorceress they didn't know.

So there she was, squinting against the cold air and snow as it fell in soft flurries around her. She snuggled as far into her scarf as she could, feeling bitter about the winter that fell around her. Meredith always_ loved_ winter. Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas and her birthday; all of her very favorite events were in winter, and playing with her brothers in the mounds of snow that fell in the heart of the season was absolute cherry on top. Now as ice covered the ground and thick grey clouds rolled over the dawn's sky, she felt herself mentally sneer; at both the White Witch and the weather she brought with her. Just for one minute in this stupid timeline, Meredith would give anything to feel the sun on her skin.

Despite the crisp air around her, her palms were sweating and butterflies fluttered all around her stomach at the unknown of what was going to meet her when she pulled open the door to the diner. Meredith shifted the weight back and forth on her feet as she stood, eyes fixed on the door to Granny's. The closed sign was lit; 6AM wasn't a time on the townsfolk's radar. She hoped Henry would be in there, silently giving her comfort when no one else would, but she doubted her mother would let him in a meeting like this, even if he did know she'd been arrested last night.

Her teeth gnawed at the inside of her cheek as worry set over her face, and Meredith had to fight the urge to turn and run. To run as fast as she possibly could towards the highway and out of town, out of the city, out of the whole freaking country if it meant she wouldn't have to face Jadis and her mother all in the same day. Exhaustion stung her eyes; because no matter how great telling Henry had felt last night, her sleep had still been restless and light, plagued by nightmares of sharp ice and lions roars, of Evil Queens and ironclad contracts. Her feet moved forward of their own accord, ignoring the fright that flooded her veins as she pushed open the door to Granny's.

Everyone was already there.

She looked around gingerly as the door swung shut behind her, suddenly unsure and lacking the confidence she'd found last night in her cell. Mary Margaret and Belle were sat at a booth with Hook, who was resting his chin on his hand as though this early hour was one completely unknown to him. David was pushing a stroller back and forth gently, and Meredith found her interest peeked; the baby inside must be Neal. Emma was leaning against the table opposite the booth with her arms folded and Gold standing at her side. Finally, Meredith's eyes fell on her parents, who were standing on Emma's other side. To her relief, Henry was indeed at the meeting, sitting between her mother and his with a small smile on his face as his eyes met Meredith's. The atmosphere in the room was heavy, and for a moment, no one spoke as she made her way over to the group.

"You wanna take a picture? It'll last longer," she finally said, a biting tone to her voice as she fell under the scrutiny of them all. She chanced a glance in her mother's direction, and saw Regina's eyes fall to the floor as her perfectly shaped eyebrow cocked and her lips puckered as she bit the inside of her cheek. Meredith rolled her eyes and sucked at her front teeth, not missing the obvious want Regina had for wanting to say something sarcastic back at her.

"Alright," Mary Margaret started, "what's your plan?"

"I need to get close enough to Jadis to get that wand out of her hands. I don't think she can freeze magic without it."

"What makes you think you're strong enough to take her down? One fancy trick with the cell bars and you think you can defeat the oldest witch we've ever come across?" David asked skeptically.

"No. I think I'm strong enough to defeat her because my magic is more powerful than anybodies here. And because I've already knocked her out once."

"What? When?" Emma asked, frowning.

"When she attacked us in the woods," Meredith replied, nodding at her father. "She came to me after I'd killed the wolves. I knocked her back before she could hurt us even more."

"You did heal me, then?" Robin said.

"Of course I did. Jadis was gone by the time I brought you round."

"Why?" Robin asked.

She chuckled. "Trust me, it's not in my best interest for you to die. Any of you." She caught Henry's eye, he was smiling at her encouragingly behind their mothers. "I need to go and find her. If I can get the wand away from her for long enough, I think you'll be able to take her out without getting your magic frozen."

"You want us to come with you?" Emma asked.

"No. I need to draw her out of the woods and into town. If I can do that then we'll be at an advantage. You three," she looked between Gold, Emma and her mom, "can be waiting to catch her off guard. We can station the Merry Men on the building rooftops with bows just in case for when she's in the street. You need to get everyone into Town Hall, if something goes wrong, she could total the entire city ... we can't risk anybody getting hurt."

"And what are we supposed to tell everyone, hm? Nobody knows about Els- Jadis," David said.

"You're gonna have to come clean ... they're not stupid, everyone knows something's up because of the weather."

"This sounds like a really stupid plan," Hook chimed in, looking lazily at Emma.

"If you've got a better one, I'm all ears," Meredith snapped.

"I don't like the idea of you going out there by yourself," Regina said, finally finding her voice. Meredith couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in shock, along with the rest of the group.

"What do you care?"

"I don't! I just don't fancy our chances if we leave you in charge of operation 'take-down-the-ancient-megalomanic'."

Henry snorted, "mom, that name sucks."

Regina rolled her eyes, but ignored Henry's words. Meredith look a deep breath through the nose, telling herself to bite her tongue and not snap back at her mother. Another argument wasn't going to help anyone; and there was a tiny part of her scared Regina might try and hurt her again.

"Look, I know it's not the best plan, but it's the only one we've got. We have to take her down now, before she's at full strength ... or we're really gonna be in a whole new hell."

Gold sighed from beside Emma. "As much as I hate to admit it, Merida is right. We cannot let Jadis get her all powers back. Now magic is in this world, she really could take it over without batting an eyelid, and without a way to get to Aslan or Narnia, we won't have any chance of stopping her."

"I thought she said it was prophesied that only Aslan could kill her?" David stated, frowning as he absentmindedly pushed the stroller back and forth.

"I'm not killing her!" Meredith said, horrified that they thought she would murder someone, no matter how bad they were. "We need to stop her, get the wand away from her and then maybe we can talk some reason, some sense into her. She deserves the chance to be good," she said sadly, looking between the adults, who were staring skeptically back at her.

"Merida, I'm all for second chances, trust me, but I don't think there's any talking sense into someone like that," Mary Margaret said softly.

She stared round at the group in despair before catching her mom's eye. "They said the same thing about you, not that long ago." She stepped forward towards her, talking as though it was just the two of them in the diner. "You're not evil, not anymore ... I'm sorry for what I said last night." Regina's expression softened ever so slightly, and she didn't drop her gaze from Meredith as her eyes fogged over with tears. "Everyone deserves a second chance," _mom. _The name nearly fell out of her mouth, and Meredith had to press her lips together to stop from saying anything else.

Regina reached forward, and while Meredith felt her heart flutter at the sight of her mother's arm stretching forward to her body, she didn't move. A reassuring hand fell on Meredith's upper arm and Regina gently gave the muscle a squeeze. Her mom nodded at her before looking round at the group.

"She's right. We're not killing anyone. Not unless we absolutely have to."

A few skeptical glances were exchanged, but no one argued the solution any further.

A short while later, Meredith was sitting at a bar stool twiddling a straw between her fingers as Granny and Ruby began to prepare for the day. Everyone was settling down to breakfast when her mom made her way over and sat down gingerly on the stool beside her. For a pause, neither spoke.

Her mother awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ears and then scratched her neck, she placed her hands on the counter before moving them into her lap. Meredith looked down at the uncertain gestures and raised an eyebrow. Since when was her mom ever nervous about broaching any subject?

Regina cleared her throat. "I'm sorry too," she said out of the blue, as though she had been working herself up to saying it and then had to do it fast - like ripping off a bandaid. Meredith looked up at her in surprise. An apology was the last thing she was expecting. "I shouldn't have frightened you last night ... I shouldn't have hurt you. I was just ... I was really angry. I know you've made this deal with Gold, but Merida ... after all this, after we stop Jadis; you're going to tell me everything. It isn't fair for you to steal the only possessions I have left in the world of my families and not tell me why."

Meredith looked into her mothers eyes for a few seconds, taking in the woman sitting beside her. The more time she spent with her, the more glimpses of her mother she got. She nodded slowly. "That sounds fair," she said quietly. It was a lie, but Meredith would be long gone from this timeline before Regina could corner her for answers. "Thank you. For saying you're sorry." Meredith said. It meant more to her then she could say, the apology. She knew it wasn't for all the misunderstanding's that'd they had ever had, or ever would have, but it was the first time Meredith could remember her mother actually saying sorry to her for anything, and for that, she was grateful. Granny settled a coffee down in front of Regina that pulled the mother and daughter from their moment.

"What are you doing?!" Henry's voice asked loudly as he quickly made his way from the booth where Snow White was cradling Neal to the counter. Regina and Meredith both frowned down at him. "You shouldn't have coffee, mom."

Regina leaned back from her son in bewilderment. Meredith squeezed her eyes shut and felt her heart drop.

"And why exactly, can I not have coffee?" Their mother asked, arching one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows.

"I just think Henry means ... it isn't good for you ... caffeine." Meredith said, jumping in to the conversation and giving Henry a sharp look from beside their mother. Her brother seemed to suddenly remember his place, and gave his mom a sheepish grin.

"I learned in science class too much caffeine isn't good for you. Why don't you have decaf?"

"Henry I've had this exact coffee ever day for the past thirty years, one more cup isn't gonna kill me. What's gotten in to you?"

He shook his head vigorously as Meredith squirmed in her seat. "Nothing, I just-"

"What the hell were they teaching you in New York, huh? Honestly!"

She moved up off the bar stool and back over to where Robin and Belle were sitting, deep in conversation. Meredith glared at her brother and pulled him towards her, gripping his forearm with strong fingers and not letting go until the boy tugged it away from her.

"Nice one, Henry!"

"I'm sorry! I forgot! I just ... she shouldn't be drinking that stuff if she's pregnant, should she?"

"How the hell would you know something like that?" Meredith asked, speaking a harsh but hushed manner.

Henry's face fell sarcastically. "Mary Margaret read me a baby book cover to cover not two weeks ago, trust me, I know a lot more about this stuff than I probably should. She's pregnant with you, don't you care?"

"Of course I care! But she can't know about this, not until she finds out on her own, do you understand? Besides, the coffee won't hurt her. I'm fine!" She sighed heavily in frustration. "Henry, I know you're trying to help, but we have to be careful. I'm never gonna get back if we screw things up with operation 'get-Meredith's-ass-home', okay?"

"Okay," he said quietly, understanding Meredith's pleads, but smiling all the same. "You know ... you're just as sucky as mom is at the code names."

"Yeah well, let me know when you come up with a better one," she said chuckling.

As the morning wore on and the diner began to fill, after the the group had filled themselves with pancakes and bacon, Meredith made her way over to Emma and the rest of the a-team.

"We need to do this now," she said, taking a deep breath. A silent exchange was made between the savior and the redhead. Emma gave a small nod.

The speech she gave to the diner was to the point, and laced with the graveness of the situation. The townsfolk listened to the blonde intently, some looked horrified at prospect of the White Witch living in the woods, others looked exhausted; Ruby rolled her eyes and sighed out, "of course there's another malevolent witch on the loose."

But they listened, all the same. And as the morning turned into the afternoon, the entire town had begun to congregate in the hall. It was a tight squeeze, but people made themselves as comfortable as possible. Granny and Ruby set up a table with food and beverages to keep everyone warm while Meredith, Emma and Regina moved around the building placing a protection spell over all the entrances. Robin and the Merry Men worked through strategies with David and Hook while Gold sat with Belle conjuring as many bows, arrows and swords as he could.

Meredith stopped to look around at the scene before her and suddenly felt very nervous. It looked like they were about to go to war. The dwarves were huddled by the door, axes in hand, in deep conversation with Mary Margaret. Marian, Cinderella and Aurora had setup a small area on the stage where all the children could play safely. Once Emma and Regina had worked their magic, the Blonde readied her gun, checking through the ammunition and sliding it into the back of her jeans.

"Okay ... I'm gonna go now," Meredith said, somewhat gravely as twilight began to settle in the sky.

Emma nodded her, taking a deep breath."Be careful. We'll sure everyone's ready for when you get back."

Words suddenly left Meredith's vocabulary; her mouth went dry and she swallowed thickly as she nodded at Emma. She took a deep breath.

"Hey, are you okay? You can do this, can't you?" The blonde asked, looking a mixture of skeptical and concerned.

"I can do it no problem, she just gives me the creeps, okay? Give me a minute to psyche myself up, would you?"

Meredith pulled the zipper of her leather jacket up to her neck and swung her curls behind her back as Regina, Robin and Henry made their way over to the doors.

"You ready?" Regina asked.

Meredith nodded, catching her father's weary face as she grasped the door handle. Robin suddenly placed his hand over hers, stopping her from pulling it open.

"I don't like this," he said, not hiding the gravity in his words. Meredith turned her hand to grip her fathers, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze.

"I know you don't, but I'll be fine."

"Let me come with you."

She shook her head and answered before her mom could. "No. Robin I've gotta focus all my energy on getting her out of the woods, I can't do that if I'm worrying about you too."

He let out a sigh of frustration and turned to her mother. "Are you happy with this?!"

She gaped at him slightly. "Well what else can we do, Robin? We need to stay down here to make sure the protection spell stays up, and Merida's right, she can't protect herself if she's panicking about somebody else too! We have a building full of scared people ready for the taking if this doesn't go the way we want it too. If we send anyone other than Merida, Jadis could feel threatened!"

"I just don't see why it has to be you!" He said, looking between Meredith and Regina, who sighed and closed her eyes.

"Do you want me to go instead?"

"NO!" Robin and Meredith both yelled together, which made Regina's eyebrows raise in surprise.

"It's too late to change the plan now, I know you're not comfortable with it, but Merida knows to back down and come here if something goes wrong, and she's the only one here who has any sort of control over light magic." When Emma's voice met their ears; it was final, and though Robin didn't protest any further, he clenched his jaw at the savior before looking back at his daughter.

"Be careful," he warned, and then stalked off back to David and Hook.

"I'll go and get tell the Merry Men to start getting ready," Emma said, leaving Regina with Henry and Meredith.

She looked back and forth between her mom and brother, trying her hardest to stay calm and not let nerves get the better of her. Henry took her hand in his and gave it a slight squeeze while offering her a quiet "good luck". Her mother simply nodded at Henry's sentence and smiled with pressed lips.

"We'll see you soon."

And with that, Meredith left the Town Hall,and her family, behind.

* * *

Nerves and fear began to crawl over Meredith's skin as she trekked through the woods. The sky was completely black now, and not a single star was present. Her breath was visible with every hitch of her chest, and her skin pinched tightly with the bitter air around. When she got back home, so help her god, she would make her parents take her on a vacation. To somewhere so hot Meredith would be able to see her skin sizzle. Her jaw began to ache as she clenched her teeth together to stop them from chattering, and the ever growing panic settled in her stomach heavily as she finally reached the well.

Jadis was no where to be seen. Not a single creature had disturbed Meredith as she had made her way from the town to the forest, and the silence that pressed down on the trees was threatening and eery, like a scary movie where someone would jump out and grab her at any second. These woods were meant to be full of life, and the lack of it made her heart tug sadly.

The crack of a branch caught her ear, and Meredith swung round, curling her hands into fists and willing her magic to come, feeling slightly calmer as it surged through her veins and stopped just under the surface of her skin. The deep growl of a wolf made her shudder, and as she turned, Meredith was met with two giant black dogs. Their eyes were blood red, and their teeth were being bared as they crept towards her through the trees. Meredith stepped one leg back, feeling dread wash over her body.

"You really are unintelligent, aren't you?" Her voice came from the shadows, making every hair on Meredith's body stand on end. She swallowed thickly before plastering on her very best nonchalant face; the face her mother couldn't bare when she was acting sarcastic or aloof.

Jadis stepped through the trees, and even with the fear, Meredith could appreciate just how beautiful she was.

"What can I say? I have a knack for not listening to Queen's. Just ask my mom," she said with a grin, preying the witch wouldn't see straight through the facade and into the fear she was really trembling with inside.

"Tell me, daughter of Eve, what is your name?" The White Witch asked, standing tall and looking down on Meredith with an expression of utter disdain on her face. Meredith's eyes caught a glance of the septa in her hand, and she felt relieved that now she'd seen it a few times, it's strange alluring nature seemed to be lost on her.

"Merida," she said causally.

"Lies!" The witch yelled, her voice echoing through the trees. "You think you can wear another's face and I will not notice? What is your name?"

Meredith cocked an eyebrow and leaned her weight on one leg, bending the knee of the opposite and crossing her arms over her chest. "You want my inside leg measurements too?"

Jadis all but snarled, but stayed where she was.

She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "My name is Meredith."

"Tell me, Meredith ... what exactly do you hope to accomplish by confronting me?"

A wide smile sprang to her face. "Oh, how rude, I forgot to tell you why I'm here!" She said, sarcastically pressing her hand to her chest and feigning shock at her lack of manners before her face turned dark. Meredith felt a strong determination wash over her. "I'm here, because this is _my_ town. These are _my_ woods. And you ... you have just about outstayed your welcome, witch."

A sneering grin crept over Jadis's face, and she laughed. The cackle nearly made Meredith shiver, but she kept her body's reflexes at bay.

"This is your town, you say? And just how do you plan on stopping me from taking it?"

"I've knocked you out once, can't be that hard to do it again," she shrugged, eyeing the septa. Magic had begun to swirl around the glass tip,and Meredith felt her body shift just ever so slightly towards the Queen; the movement was so small, not even the wolves flinched.

Jadis snarled at the memory of Meredith's magic. "I am immortal, you foolish child. You will never kill me-"

"Who said anything about killing you?" Meredith said, and as the words left her mouth, she didn't miss the White Witch's face falter. She had caught her off guard.

"I'm not here to kill you, Jadis. No ... I'm here for something else. Something more valuable to me then your life."

The Queen's top lip trembled with rage. "And what might that be?"

Meredith grinned. "Your wand."

She lunged forward, throwing her arms out in front of her and feeling bright, white magic blast out from her palms and throw the wolves backwards. Jadis let out a yell. Both sorceresses leapt forward towards the other. Jadis swung the septa in her fingers with a move not unlike a warrior with a sword, blocking the beam of power Meredith had sent her way. The Witch pressed forward, tall and strong, towering over Meredith with an expression so fierce she looked almost demonic. Fear flooded her veins and she tried again to blast the witch back off her feet. The septa blocked her spell once more, this time rebounding back and knocking Meredith down to the ground. Jadis reached her in seconds, laughing as she raised the spear like wand high over her head; just as she threw her arms forward to pierce Meredith's chest, the girl vanished from her feet in a cloud of magic.

Meredith stood up behind Jadis quickly, reaching up and gripping her long hair in her hands. She gritted her teeth and released the yell caught in her throat as Jadis shouted at the physical contact. The witch yanked her body away from Meredith and spun round, lunging the septa forward once more as Meredith jumped back, its glass tip missing her torso by a hairs breath. She shot her hands up in front of her body quickly, palms facing the Queen and shocked her, knocking her backwards with a force so powerful Jadis went flying back into a tree. The witch groaned, stumbling forward as Meredith stalked towards her once more, swallowing the panic rising in her chest as she felt the familiar, unwanted vibrations of magic shudder through her limbs and quickly threatening to take over her body. She tensed her muscles and clenched her jaw; now was not the time to lose control over her magic. The hesitation Meredith felt from the magic coursing through her skin was all the time Jadis needed to let out a shout and lunge forward. She tackled Meredith to the ground so hard the girl was knocked clean off her feet in a second. Jadis straddled her torso, gripping her arms under her thighs and once more raising her wand high over her head.

"You really should have listened to me, dear girl." The witch said, breathless as Meredith bucked beneath her, trying to release her arms from under the weight of Jadis's legs.

Her eyes widened in fear as Jadis moved to embed the septa into her chest, and out of impulse Meredith felt her hands warm through with fire. Jadis shrieked, scrambling back off Meredith, patting the flames out that engulfed her dress. Meredith stood triumphantly, throwing another fireball in Jadis's direction. The witch saw it coming and froze it midair; the ball turned into solid ice before Meredith's eyes and fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

For a moment, neither moved. They glared at each from either side of the well, breathing deep and regaining their strength. Meredith's heart hammered against her chest; Jadis would never give up this wand without fighting to the death first. A fresh surge of magic pulsed through her body against her will, making her chest tighten and her limbs ache. She groaned as she stumbled backwards at its force.

Jadis caught the weakness, and sneered, throwing the septa up and repositioning her hand as so to hold it like a spear. Meredith's heart caught in her throat, and she heard Emma's words in her mind; _Merida knows to back down if something goes wrong._

Losing control of her magic was definitely something going wrong.

She turned quickly and began to run fast, not noticing when Jadis threw the septa through the air. It hit Meredith square in the shoulder, sticking awkwardly in her skin and making her scream out in pain. She fell forwards, rolling her shoulder forward as Jadis waved her fingers and the wand shot back into her grasp. Meredith felt hot tears streak down her cheeks as Jadis's magic, along with the wound her spear had left in Meredith's shoulder, crippled her muscles.

Meredith gritted her teeth hard, forcing her legs to stand, shuddering from the foreign magic pressing its way into her skin. She threw her good hand back and held onto the deep welt in her shoulder blade; the septa had gone straight through the leather of her jacket and buried itself deep in her body. Blood rinsed her fingers as she stumbled through the trees, hearing Jadis cackle behind her.

She didn't have to turn back to know that this time ... the White Witch was definitely in her pursuit.

* * *

"Is anybody sitting here?" Marian's voice hit her eardrums, pulling her from a deep trance.

Regina looked up in surprise before shaking her head. She had sat down heavily with her back against the wall near the stage not long after Merida had left, lost in thought and worry over letting the teenager go to confront an ancient witch all by herself; she hadn't voiced it at the time, but Robin was right ... none of this sat well with her either. Marian sat down, somewhat hesitantly, beside her. An awkward silence fell on the pair, and Regina found herself staring into her hands, tugging the skin back and forth nervously. What the hell did she want? Now really was _not_ the time to hash out another 'you stole my husband' argument.

"Do you think she can do it? Merida? Do you think she can defeat the White Witch?" Marian asked quietly, and for a second, it confused Regina why the fair maiden was asking her and not Robin. She sighed.

"I hope so. She seems strong, though, so I'm ..." she frowned as the next words fell from her mouth, words she wouldn't usually dare utter, "I'm keeping faith."

Marian nodded, and Regina looked up to follow her gaze out over the townsfolk and over at Robin, who was holding Roland tight to his chest while in deep conversation with Hook and Charming.

"I-" she started, but then didn't know how to carry on. What could she say? Did she thank Marian? For letting Robin come to her so easily, for accepting their relationship? She let out a frustrated sigh, because no matter what she said, she didn't think it would make Marian feel better. "I know it can't have been easy for you. Letting him go."

Her eyes finally fell on Marian's, and she was surprised at the pensive gaze she was met with. "Regina ... the man that you're in love with is not my husband. I can see that now. My husband, _my _Robin was carefree," she grinned, as though she was picturing some distant memory. "He was young at heart, and laid back, and kind of arrogant and cheeky. The main reason he stole from the rich wasn't _just_ to give it to the poor, it was because he knew it drove the royal's crazy. It was like one giant game; between him, and Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham, and they were all just as bad as one another."

Regina found herself staring intently at her love as Marian described the man she remembered, the man _she_ knew, and it didn't sound much like her Robin at all. He was arrogant and cheeky, for sure, but only really with her, every now and again. Never once had she seen Robin play mind tricks on the Charming's as a way of cruel fun, and the only reason_ her_ Robin stole was solely to take care of others. _Her _Robin wasn't young at heart, unless maybe he was around Roland, no; her Robin was serious and responsible. He was a good leader that weighed himself down with the problems of other people, not some over confident, reckless boy with too much pride and a knack for getting in trouble.

"That man over there is so ... burdened." Marian continued, nodding towards Robin. "And I haven't the faintest idea what by. Maybe it was my death, maybe the years just haven't been kind to him or his men, but ... whatever it may be ... that man over there is no longer my husband. So no, it wasn't all_ that_ hard. Letting go of him." She turned to meet Regina's gaze and swallowed thickly, not hiding the tears and emotion in her eyes. "How can it be, when he's no longer there?"

It hit Regina then. Why Robin was the way he was, why they were such polar opposites on the surface but so alike when they had searched a little deeper. Why he could be arrogant and carefree with her and Roland and then so intensely serious around others. This Robin, the one Marian was stranger to, had built up walls. The death of his wife had knocked him so far into darkness, just as Daniel's had done with Regina, that the walls had gone straight up; so high and sturdy it had taken only a person with full understanding to break them down.

Suddenly, Regina felt overwhelmed. She was hit by an emotion she couldn't quite name, and tears sprung to her eyes as she reached out and gripped Marian's hand. The gesture surprised them both. Marian smiled, a little coyly, before squeezing Regina's hand back with tears shining in her eyes too. Both women nodded towards each other, silently giving approval and thanks, both coming to an understanding that didn't need words.

"Mamma?" Roland's little voice pulled them from there moment, and Regina smiled as the child climbed into Marian's lap and snuggled against her breast. "Have you and Regina made friends now?" His question was so innocent it made Regina bite back a grin.

Marian chuckled. "Yes, my love. We're friends now." They weren't, not really ... very strange acquaintances, perhaps. But how could they explain that to a five year old?

"Good, because I didn't like you fighting." He said, giving in to a wide yawn as his head fell against Marian's chest. "I'm tired. Can you and Regina tell me a story?"

The two women caught each other's gaze. Regina smiled, shaking her head and ruffling Roland's hair. "I have to go and check on Henry, Roland. But I promise I'll tell you a story one night this week, okay?"

He frowned slightly before nodding, and as Regina got up her eyes fell on the Outlaw from across the room. Robin was looking between her and Marian with an unnerving worry etched on his face, but when she smiled over, it was replaced by one of curios shock. She laughed, rolling her eyes as she stepped between the towns people, who were now sitting all around the hall talking in deep conversations that made the room buzz with noise.

"Were your ears burning?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow as he met her by the double doors that lead back outside.

"What happened? Did she say something to you?"

"No, she was fine. _We_ were fine," she said, frowning at the memory of the strange conversation that had just taken place.

A wide grin settled on Robin's face. "See? I _told_ you she'd come round."

Regina rolled her eyes. "At least you're not modest about it." He chuckled at her words before glancing back at the large clock that stood over the entrance.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"It's just ... Merida should have been back by now."

Regina looked up at the clock and frowned. Yes, the girl _should_ have been back by now. An unnerving concern settled in the pit of her stomach, and she met Robin's eyes as Emma and the Charming's made their way over to them.

"I think one of us needs to go and find her," Emma said with a sigh when they'd briefly discussed Merida's absence. "I ran the suggestion by Gold and he didn't really seem to give a crap, so, it looks like it's either you or me."

Exchanges were made around the small circle before Regina finally sighed out a huff. "I'll go."

"Are you sure? It could be dangerous," Emma said.

Regina rolled her eyes. "No, really? And here was me thinking we'd secured the whole town inside this hall for the fun of it."

"I'm coming with you," Robin said, ignoring her quip at the savior.

"No, you're not." He gaped at her words. "If anything happens to you, I'd never forgive myself."

"And you think I can if I let you go out there alone?"

They stared deeply into each other's eyes for a few moments. Regina felt her eyes shine with tears as she ran a hand along his jaw gently before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry ... but, you don't have a choice."

He frowned slightly before looking startled as she froze his whole body in place.

"Regina what are you doing?!" Mary Margaret said with a gasp.

"Make sure he doesn't follow me," she said with stern eyes to the group. Obviously he couldn't, not with her spell in place, but she said the words anyway, and appreciated the curt nod Emma gave her before she yanked open the entrance doors and stepped out into the cold outside air.

Regina hadn't made it twenty paces when a loud, blood curdling shout met her ears.

"RUN!"

Her head snapped round, trying to locate the person this voice belonged to. A figure caught her eyes in the distance of the street, running towards her at what seemed like a hundred miles an hour. Regina felt her arms, which had been wrapped around her body for warmth, drop by her side and her feet walk her in reverse, backwards to the Town Hall.

* * *

"Run! Regina! RUN!" Meredith yelled as her feet pounded the road, preying the ice wouldn't make her slip and fly through the air. Her mom faltered outside the doors, frowning deeply as Meredith got closer. "She's coming! GET INSIDE!" She shouted, trying to slow her legs down as she reached the town hall.

Regina rushed through the doors, then turned to face her as she walked backwards into Robin's chest. Meredith frowned as her mom waved her hand in front of her dad and quickly caught a glow of purple magic leaving his body. She turned back to the doors and held up her hands, quickly cloaking the building in a protection spell she hoped would stick, and then moved to bolt them shut. Her shoulder ached uncomfortably, but thankfully, Jadis's magic hadn't done other damage, besides the bloody wound in her shoulder.

"Meredith," she heard Henry call as she finally let herself stop, taking deep breaths and letting her lungs readjust to not running. Why oh why was she always running?

She looked over at her brother, questioning his expression before realizing the entire town was staring at her in absolute silence. Meredith straightened up; every single pair of eyes in the room was fixed, and it was only when she caught her mother's alarmed face did she realise; Henry had just called her Meredith.

Horror flooded her veins, and her heart fell through her stomach as she looked down at the hair falling over her shoulders and down her chest. Long, soft, _black_ hair. Meredith felt her mouth run dry as she pulled at the locks; as though taking them in her hands would make the colour turn back orange. Jadis's septa obviously _had_ done something; it had made her glamour spell drop.

"Who ... who are you?" Her mother breathed, and Meredith didn't hide the tears that fell from her eyes, which landed on Robin as he curiously made his way over to her. She pressed her lips together when he stopped in front of her, their faces close, and she didn't blink as his blue eyes met hers.

"Merida?" He asked, very quietly, his eyes never once leaving her own.

She sniffed out a laugh, wiping her cheeks of any wetness her tears left. "It's Mere_dith_, actually."

She chanced a glance over at her mother, who still looked every bit as alarmed, as confused by her sudden change in appearance. "Who are you?" She asked again, her voice slightly louder that time.

"I'm ..." But she couldn't find the words. How on earth could she look in her eyes and tell her she was her child? It was crazy, impossible, and the words got caught in Meredith's throat as her eyes fell on her brother, and he walked forward towards them.

"She's your daughter." Henry said finally, helping Meredith get out the sentence she'd longed to utter from the second she'd been sent to this timeline. The colour drained from Regina's face as she looked between her son and her daughter.

"That's impossible."

"No, it's not-"

The alarm in her mother's voice was paramount as she answered; "I'm pretty sure I'd remember giving birth, Henry!"

"You haven't," Meredith said, finally finding her voice. "Not yet, anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Regina demanded, getting frustrated with the lack of answers to the million questions she had.

"I was sent here from the future by a witch," she shrugged, her teeth finding the inside of her cheek and tugging nervously at the gum.

"You were sent here in a time portal?!" Emma piped up, gaping at Meredith. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Because I didn't want it to mess up the future! Which I'm pretty sure is completely pointless now, because I probably already have! I didn't tell anyone because I don't know how to use dark magic so I didn't know how to make anybody forget!"

"Is this why you stole the spell book? The pendent?" David chimed in.

She nodded, feeling her bottom lip tremble as she tried desperately to keep it together. "I've been trying to reopen the portal so I can go home. It won't work!" She cried, rolling her shoulder again as it throbbed.

"You told Henry?" Emma said.

"She didn't want to," her brother said, coming to her defense. "I found a photograph of us all in her bag last night."

"What photo?" Mary Margaret asked.

Meredith's shoulders sagged; all eyes in the room were still gawping at her in shock, and she suddenly felt maybe she underestimated just how much of a resemblance she bore to her mother. She felt utterly sick. The entire town now knew who she was and where she was from, and if that wasn't enough to screw up the timeline, Meredith didn't know what was. Her mom and dad still had yet to say a word, they were both just staring at her in alarm. Her eyes fell on Marian, whose face had near enough crumpled, as though Meredith's appearance had truly put the nail in the coffin on her and Robin's relationship. Guilt tugged at Meredith's heart; Marian didn't deserve this. Tears of stress and panic (and a tiny niggle of relief) spilled over the rims of her bright blue eyes and she had to squeeze them shut in order to gain better control over her emotions. This was all getting too much. Meredith clenched her fists as magic suddenly surged to her finger tips unexpectedly again.

Oh god.

No.

This couldn't be happening ... not again.

She clamped down her jaw tightly, trying to breathe deep and searched for her mother's voice in the back of her mind. _Your magic is not bigger than you. Take a deep breathe and control it. _

"Meredith? Show them ... show them the photo," Henry's voice said, pulling her from her thoughts and making Meredith swallow down the internal vibrations of overflowing power coursing through her body. She met his gaze with a shuddered breath as she sighed and her muscles relaxed, feeling proud to have kept her magic at bay.

Her pride was short lived.

The second Meredith pushed her hand into her pocket to pull out her family picture, the windows to the town hall shattered. Glass rained down on them, causing the people of Storybrooke to shriek and gasp. Cold air crept through the open spaces, and Meredith caught sight of Roland burying his face deeper into Marian's torso from across the room as she stood and shook the glass off their bodies.

'Was that-" Regina started, finally finding her voice combing the tiny shards from her hair. Meredith shook her head in answer to her question; no. It most definitely wasn't her.

"Jadis ... She's here."

The doors to the town blasted open and Jadis stood in the middle of the street. Gold lead the group as they moved slowly outside.

"Rumplestiltskin, my, my. This realm becomes you," she said coldly. Gold breathed out a laugh and sneered right back at the Ice Queen.

"Jadis. I see you're as dramatic as ever ... hoping to put on a show, were we?"

He was buying them time, Meredith knew, and she glanced up at the rooftops, eyeing the Merry Men dotted round with bows at the ready, all pointed to the witch. She watched as Little John gave the signal, and dozens of arrows shot through the air. Meredith's relief was halted when Jadis threw up a hand, never once taking her eyes off Gold but managing to stop every arrow midair and making them fall uselessly to the floor. She twisted her wrist, and every one of the Merry Men on the buildings fell out of sight.

"Sticks will not work on me," she said. "You broke our deal!" She shouted, pointing over at the Dark One, using her septa as an extension of her arm. The rage on her face was enough to make Meredith swallow. Regina and Mary Margaret were standing in front of the Town Hall doors as everyone inside trembled at the sight of Jadis, huddling together. Henry was standing back in the door with Archie and Roland, while Marian had moved outside with the rest of the group, desperately searching the rooftops for any sign of life from her friends. The maiden heard a deep groan from the building to her left, and her head snapped to see Alan-a-Dale lulling against the building edge. Horror flooded her veins at her friends state, if he moved even one inch, he would surely fall to his death. She swallowed and looked round, making sure no one's attention was one her before she slipped behind a car and hurried into the alley between the Town Hall and the adjacent building. She would not let her friend die.

As Gold made to move forward, Jadis threw the septa through the air again, and when it landed in his skin, the Imp turned to stone before their eyes. Snow White's hand shot to her mouth with a gasp as everyone gawped. Belle shrieked, running forward through the rest of the group until Robin grabbed her torso and pulled her back. She fought through sobs and protests, but the archer was too strong for her.

Meredith bit back a sob. This was all her fault. If she had just been brave enough to face Jadis alone, to stand and fight and get the wand, none of this would be happening. She had suggested putting the entire town in one place, she hadn't been strong or fast enough to get the wand, she was the reason Belle's husband was now a solid statue. She had put her entire family in mortal peril, and now they would surely all meet a sticky end at the hands of the ancient White Witch. The timeline had most definitely been changed forever; the thought of her brother's never growing up, of herself and Harrison never being born, of her parents never getting the chance to enjoy their happy marriage, all made Meredith nearly drown in an overwhelming sorrow.

"This is exactly what will happen to each and every person in this town, should you try and defy me again!" Jadis yelled, commanding the attention of every ear.

From behind her, Meredith heard her mother snort. "Please! You think turning one annoying Imp into stone is gonna scare me off?" Regina's words made Jadis snarl, and her mother pushed through the group, taking advantage of the fact Robin was too busy holding Belle upright to stop her. Meredith's eyes widened in fear as her mom fronted the group, standing in the way of Jadis and the town. "You want me to quake? You're gonna have to do better then _that_."

Meredith's lip wobbled as panic rose in her chest and her limbs stiffened. She let out a yelp of pain as her magic pulsed over her body once more. The sound caught everyone's attention, and as David reached down to see if she was okay, he was suddenly shot backwards into Killian as a white light engulfed Meredith for a second.

"David!" Snow yelled, running to her husband's aid as he and Hook staggered back up.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Meredith said, her face crumpling. She looked back to Jadis, whose many years of experience with magic seemed to give her an advantage, and Meredith knew she knew what was about to happen.

The White Witch grinned at the opportunity to escape and regain her strength. "I do believe you have bigger things to worry about then me," she said lightly nodding at Meredith and disappearing into a puff of magical smoke.

The group's attention moved back to her and Robin finally let go and Belle, who rushed towards her husband and quickly planted a kiss on the cold stone. A wave of light magic burst from their lips, and Gold's body returned to its original form.

Meredith groaned out in pain again as the vibrations got stronger and more frequent, making her limbs tense and shudder. Her body was glowing now, and she let out a sob before forcing her legs to move her as far back from the Town Hall as she possibly could.

The stress was all too much, the pain and horror of what she'd done overwhelmed her, and Meredith screamed out as she realised her body was about to explode with magic. It hadn't happened in so long, and she cried out at the weakness she felt as more power rushed through her veins painfully.

"You have to get back!" She yelled, tears running down her cheeks. Everyone listened, moving back into the entrance of the hall, except her mother, who stood in the exact same spot and stared at Meredith with a mixture of alarm and fear.

"Please! I don't want to hurt you!"

Robin moved forward to reach for Regina, but both David and Hook held him back as Emma cocked her gun, pointing it squarely at Meredith. Her dad struggled against the men, recognizing the danger Regina was suddenly in.

"Please! MOM!" She yelled as a last ditch attempt to get her to listen and go back inside with the rest of the town.

But the name seemed to snap Regina from her horror, and the former Evil Queen moved cautiously towards her daughter. Meredith wanted to shout back and stop her from moving, but as her skin glowed brighter, the pain of her magic overtook her body. She fell to her knees with a thump. Regina was kneeling in front of her in seconds, not fearing the obvious power that was threatening to explode, and she gently placed two hands either side of Meredith's face.

"Look at me," she said calmly. Meredith forced her eyes open despite the crippling agony her body was in. "You're fine," she said firmly. "You can control this. _We _can control this together. Breathe with me. You're strong enough to stop this, I know you are."

"No ..." Meredith said thickly through the torture. She shook her head as tears spilled down her cheeks over and over again. Regina thumbed them away continuously, never once letting her eyes leave her daughters. "I can't do it, it hurt's too much." She looked down at her palms, which were shaking and tense as they glowed brighter with every second.

Her chest contracted and retracted over and over again as she hyperventilated, and Regina blinked back tears of her own. "I know it hurts ... but you can do this. You have to calm down. I believe in you, Meredith."

Meredith fell forward into her mother's body as another wave of pure pain coursed through her body, and she shrieked. Regina caught her in her arms, feeling the magic begin to blind her eyes as she held her daughter tightly. Meredith swallowed one last breath before feeling her muscles shake as she gritted her teeth and used every ounce of strength she had to blast her mother backwards and into the group standing at the entrance to the Town Hall. She was wrong, Meredith wasn't strong enough to stop this from happening, and she didn't want her mother getting hurt when her body would finally burst.

Regina fell back into Robin's arms with thud, feeling nothing but sorrow as she watched her child fall to the floor and scream at the torture she felt from the uncontrolled magic in her body.

"What the hell is happening to her?!" Emma asked.

"Her magic is getting the better of her emotions," Gold answered.

"Can't you stop it?!" The blonde shouted.

"Light magic is stronger than dark magic, she could kill me if I go near her!" He snapped back. "We have to get inside!"

"I'm not leaving her!" Regina yelled.

Gold shouted back. "She'll be fine! It just needs to get out of her system!"

Regina looked back at her daughter in turmoil, unsure of what to do. She couldn't leave her, but if they left the town doors open like this then Gold was right, she could kill someone with the sheer blast of her magic. Meredith was crouching on all fours in the middle of the street, desperately trying to keep hold of her magic while everyone got to safety. Regina looked at Robin, who had finally stopped struggling against Hook and David.

"No," he breathed.

"I'm sorry," she said, not hiding the sob in her voice. Gold might well have been wrong, Meredith might not be okay after this. "I can't leave her."

"No, Regina, DON'T!"

It was the last thing Regina heard as she blasted the group inwards and pulled the door shut with a cloud of purple smoke, sealing it with locked with magic. She turned to hurry back to Meredith as her body began to convulse. Regina's legs came to a halt halfway between the hall and the street when magic made Meredith's body suddenly rise up. It was eery, and the bright ora she had made her dark her tumble around her face, which was contorted in suffering.

"Oh my god," she heard a voice breath behind her.

Regina snapped her head round to see Marian and Alan staring up at Meredith's in horror. Panic flooded Regina's body, and then everything happened at once.

Meredith's screams got deafeningly loud, and the girl's body so bright no one could look up at her as magic burst from every inch of her skin. Regina threw her hands up and was engulfed in purple smoke, disappearing from her position and reappearing in front of Marian in a split second, choosing to protect Roland's mother from the magic's full blast. Marian shoved Alan back with both hands, and the man, who still seemed dazed from Jadis's magic, stumbled back and lost his footing before falling on his back behind a car.

When the light magic hit Regina's skin, she felt her body fly back into Marian's, and then everything went black.

* * *

Robin looked around at the group in horror when the sound of Meredith's screams finally stopped, and the dark night's sky settled over the windows once more. He faltered slightly before reaching back for the door handle he'd tried to prize open from the second Regina had sent them back inwards, and felt a sigh of relief fall over his body when the handle finally turned without a magical seal stopping him from leaving.

The sight that met his eyes when his feet fell to the pavement was like a war zone. Every window in the street was shattered, cars were overturned and trash cans rolled through the road, their litter blowing out in the breeze. Meredith was trying to get to her feet, shaking as she went. Robin was about to make his way to her when Snow's voice met his ears.

"Oh my god!"

He whirled around, and felt the blood drain from his face at the sight of Regina lying over Marian in a pool of blood, both unmoving and completely unconscious.

"Somebody get Whale!" Snow shouted as David and Emma slowly pulled Regina off Marian.

Robin's feet were rooted to the spot as his eyes were torn between his wife and his soulmate. Panic surged through his body as Dr Whale came rushing out, followed by a river of people finally plucking up the courage to spill out of the Town hall and into the street to see what was going on. His eyes fell on Marian, who Whale had gone to first, and the sticky warm blood that was pooled around her head. He felt sick as Whale knelt down besides her, using two fingers and pressing against her neck; for a moment, no one breathed.

The doctor looked back at Robin with nothing but sorrow etched on his face.

"I'm so sorry ... she's dead."


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**A/N: Thank you all SO much for the reviews on the last chapter, glad it went down okay! One Guest reviewed wanting to know why I had killed Regina … hopefully you have reread the last little bit because it was Marian who died. I definitely couldn't kill Regina! One, because she is my favourite character, and too, it wouldn't make for the best 'outlaw queen' story haha! This is more focussed on character than on action, and I hope you understand some of the actions/decisions Robin and Regina come to! The first part of this chapter is from Meredith/Regina POV, the second is Robin/Regina; they overlap slightly!  
****I know you all, like myself, LOVE mamma Regina, so without further or do … here she is! **

* * *

The wait at the hospital was excruciating.

Meredith sat with her arms wrapped around her tummy, slowly rocking back and forth on the hard, plastic chairs of the waiting room. Emma was sitting with Henry, holding an arm around her brother while they patiently waited for news of Regina's health. David, Mary Margaret and Killian were all sat together opposite her brother and the savior, while Belle and Gold were huddled in the chairs in the far corner of the room. Little John was waiting for news on Alan-a-Dale, thick tears in his eyes and grief etched on his face with Roland perched on his lap wearing a confused, upset expression on his little face.

No one spoke a word.

Robin had begun to cause a scene when Whale had tried to stop him from going onto the ward with Regina; punches were very nearly thrown, and it had taken only Little John's stern influence to calm the archer down. Whale had caved, and he and Robin had been absent from the group for hours.

The bitter night seemed to grow longer and stand still all at once; and it occurred to Meredith, as she sat with trembling limbs and drowning in utter despair, that the waiting room of this damn hospital was her own personal purgatory. It was a teasing anticipation that made her sore muscles tense as she waited to hear whether it was heaven or hell that lay on the other side of the door.

She would probably go for the latter though. Even if her mother was still alive ... Marian wasn't. Guilt and grief hit her in a fresh wave, a tsunami of emotions taking her breath away for the hundredth time that evening, and she didn't attempt to stop the tears from spilling out of her eyes.

Marian was dead.

She had killed her ... her dad's wife, her brother's mom. The weight of the consequences of her actions lay so heavily on her chest, Meredith found it difficult to breathe. The waiting was endless, the guilt was crushing, and the horror that came with the realization she had now definitely altered the timeline was so great, Meredith knew she wouldn't ever be able to forgive herself.

Mary Margaret had tried to talk to her after the first hour. The princess had sat beside Meredith and whispered words that were meant to be comforting. She rubbed a hand up her back gently, telling her she had no blame in this. Meredith had all but sneered and jerked her shoulder away from Snow without a reply. If she had spoken back to her, it would have been nothing but malicious words she didn't really mean.

As the fourth hour rolled by, and the darkest part of the night settled on the town, Robin finally came back into the waiting room. Meredith's head snapped up, but he didn't meet her eyes once. Henry, Emma and the Charming's all stood from their chairs, staying silent as they waited for him to give them news. Her dad looked awful; his eyes were raw red, the usually charming lines that sat in his skin were more prominent with grief and worry and his mouth was cast down in a way that made Meredith think he would never smile again. He nodded towards them slightly before speaking with a shuddered sigh.

"She's alright," he said quietly, and was rewarded with audible relief from the whole group.

Meredith felt her shoulders sag as some of the worry fell away; she let her elbows drop to her knees and held her face in her hands as a fresh wave of sobs threatened to over take her body.

"Whale wants to keep her here over night, but he can't find anything wrong with her," he said as Roland scrambled off John's lap and hurried over to Robin. The archer lifted him with ease and out of habit when the boy at his feet reached up, and swung him round to rest on his hip.

"Oh, what a relief," Mary Margaret said, wrapping her arms around David.

A brief silence settled on them one more before he turned to John. "Any news on Al?"

Little John shook his head sadly, and nothing more was said. Meredith was looking at her dad again now. Roland's head was sitting comfortably in the crook of Robin's neck while his fingers twisted and fiddled with the button on their dad's jacket. Robin cleared his throat.

"Your mother wants to see you."

Meredith waited for his eyes to fall on her as they had on Henry, but they didn't. Her heart hurt like it was squeezing itself to dust as Henry nodded and moved from Emma's arms and made for the door. Robin's eyes cast down at Roland's feet, and he turned his head slightly towards her.

"You too," he said, and while he never actually looked at her, Meredith knew he was talking to her. She got up as quickly as her body would allow, ignoring the stiffness in her limbs and the aches in her muscles as she slipped past her dad and rounded the corridors in the hospital until she found her mother's room.

When she reached the door, Henry was already there, wrapped up in Regina's arms and sitting by her side on the bed. Regina looked tired, and not her usual self in the hospital gown, but otherwise, she looked perfectly fine. Meredith stayed standing awkwardly in the doorway with her hands folded in front of her as she tugged at the skin on her knuckles, venting her nerves.

"I feel fine, honestly," she was saying to Henry before she leaned back onto her pillows gently.

Regina's eyes fell on the door then, on Meredith. For a pause, no one spoke, until Regina stroked Henry's cheek with a warm smile on her face. "Could you give us a few minutes, please?"

Henry nodded before getting up and saying, "I'm glad you're okay, mom."

He walked past Meredith, giving her a comforting smile as he went, and back towards the waiting room. Meredith gave a shuddered breath inwards when Regina held out her arms from the bed, sitting back up off the pillows. She hurried to her mother's arms without hesitation, feeling her face crumple as she reached the bed and Regina pulled her into her embrace. Meredith buried her head in the crook of her mother's neck as Regina rocked them, stroking her hair as her daughter sobbed and sobbed.

"Are you okay?" Meredith croaked when she finally pulled back, but Regina didn't let her arms leave the girls body.

"I'm _fine_."

"I don't understand, how?"

"Blue was here earlier, she said she thinks your magic didn't harm me because it's part of me."

Regina's eyes mapped Meredith's face. She reached up and tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear before holding her face in her hands. A smile sprang onto her face as tears welled in her eyes. "You are so beautiful."

Meredith cried out a laugh as Regina shook her head; how was is possible one day she would make such a beautiful person with her own body?

"I know you look like me but ..." she thumbed away the wetness under her daughter's red eyes - even with the tears and harrowed expression, she was stunning - "you have Robin's eyes." Her thumbs moved down to the corners of her mouth, she had the faintest hint of dimples that she guessed would only be more prominent when she smiled. Regina let her fingers trace every inch of skin Meredith had on show, reveling in awe that she actually had a daughter who was sitting in front of her. She let out a laugh. "I have a million questions for you and I don't know which to start with!"

Meredith smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"How do you feel?" Regina asked.

Meredith nodded before her face crumpled again, and Regina pulled her into another hug. "I killed her," she cried, her shoulders shaking as her fingers clung to her mother desperately.

Regina shook her head and pulled back. "No!" She said firmly. "You listen to me, this was an accident. A tragic, horrible accident." She felt tears sting her eyes too as she looked at the young girl. Meredith looked utterly distraught, and she found she was at a complete loss of how to help. Yes, this beautiful creature was her daughter, her flesh and blood, yes, she already loved her - which was odd, considering they'd really only just met - but it didn't change the fact that Regina didn't know her yet. She didn't know what would help and what wouldn't, she didn't know which way of comfort the girl would find most soothing. She hadn't raised her yet, and a feeling of helplessness washed over the Queen.

She held her close, for how long, Regina couldn't tell. She had already spent the majority of the night holding Robin, keeping him from falling apart, so she would gladly do it all over again for their daughter. Eventually, the girls hiccups and chest hitches died down, and Meredith pulled back to stare at her mom. She cautiously placed a hand over Regina's flat tummy.

"You should probably get Whale to check you over again," she said.

"I told you, I'm fine, really-"

"You're pregnant." She said it bluntly, then watched for her mother's reaction. Regina's eyes widened in alarm, and Meredith nodded with a smile.

"I was conceived the first time you and dad ..." she grimaced, "that's why my magic's so powerful."

Regina met Meredith's hand on her stomach, staring in awe through the bed sheets and hospital gown. It had been decades since Regina had even considered the idea that she could get pregnant, (it had finally dawned on her after years of being Leopold's play thing, and then Graham being hers, that birthing a child just wasn't on the agenda for her). Even meeting Robin hadn't changed that. She had long since just accepted that it would never happen, but she didn't mind ... Roland and Henry were more than enough - even if she did have to share Henry with that Emma.

Now ... now she was _pregnant_. A loving smile spread across her face, followed by the immediate sadness that Robin wasn't here to find out with her. She swallowed the emotion; she would tell him later.

"Has this happened before?" She asked Meredith, who frowned at her question. "I mean ... has your magic got out of control like that before?"

Meredith nodded grimly. "This is like ... the fourth time. It hasn't happened in over a year though, and only when I'm feeling ... overly emotional."

Regina furrowed her brows and felt her shoulders sag in sympathy; what a horrible burden it must be for the poor girl, to have so much power it overtook your physical control. A wave of determination washed over her, she could stop it. She could teach the baby growing her womb to control it. Meredith caught the steely expression on Regina's face and shook her head suddenly, before her mother got the wrong idea.

"I can control my magic perfectly almost all the time. You taught me pretty much from the second I could stand on two feet how to harness it safely. I don't use magic all that much really ... dad doesn't like it."

Regina rolled her eyes, of course Robin didn't like it. She swallowed the feeling of annoyance that he would stop their daughter from reaching her full potential, knowing he hadn't actually done that yet, (not for them anyway), and grimaced as she thought it. Her irrational annoyance was something so akin to her mother it made Regina's stomach turn. Her heart tugged as she took in the young girl. Meredith mouth was cast down, and her beautiful blue eyes were haunted and weary, not unlike Robin's had been when he had sobbed that Marian had died again. She reached forward and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her daughter's ear.

"I know magic isn't Robin's favorite thing. But he understands its necessity," Regina said softly.

Meredith bit her lip as her face threatened to break again and she cast her eyes down. "He won't even look at me."

Regina closed her eyes, silently cursing her love and making a mental note to talk to him later. She gripped the tops of Meredith's arms and moved her face in her daughter's eye line, forcing their eyes to meet.

"Meredith, this is not your fault, do you understand? I saw how much pain you were in, I know if you could have stopped it, you would have. Robin knows that too, he's just ..." she shook her head sadly. "He's just lost his wife for the second time. He's raw and overwhelmed. I'll talk to him; he'll see you aren't to blame for any of this."

Meredith nodded slightly as Regina was on the cusp of telling her daughter about how Daniel had been brought back, about how she knows what it feels like to lose your first love twice. She stopped herself when Meredith's eyes bore into her own, and she had to bite back a cry of her own. The blue pools she stared into looked almost hollow; like the girl couldn't take any more emotional upheaval. Regina clenched her jaw and swallowed the lump in her throat; she had to stay strong for her child.

Meredith watched an array of emotions flit across her mother's face, and she knew she was trying to hold it together for her sake. It was something that in that moment, she was incredibly grateful for. Her eyes felt heavy with exhaustion, and she breathed out a sigh as a throbbing in her head - one that Meredith was sure had been there all night, but she had chosen to ignore - came to the forefront of her awareness. An expression both curious and cautious fell on Regina's face, and she took a deep breath before speaking, as though she was trying to work herself up to ask Meredith something.

"Henry said ... he said you have a photograph of us?"

A warm, genuine smile spread across Meredith's face. It didn't meet her eyes - she doubted any smile would light up her soul ever again - but the obvious interest her mother had for her future was heartwarming. She shifted her weight and leaned back on the hospital bed, digging her fist into her jeans pocket and yanking out the worn, creased polaroid that lay in there. Meredith smoothed it over with her thumb before handing it over.

Regina didn't let her eyes fall on the photo for a second; she was almost afraid to look down and see what the future had in store for her. When they did, when her dark eyes drunk in the image of a hot summer's day on Main Street, Storybrooke filled with family and love and laughter, an emotion she couldn't name - a good emotion - overwhelmed her. Regina brought her hand up to her mouth because she didn't want Meredith to see her lips wobble as tears pooled in her eyes.

She looked so happy.

She and Robin were cuddled together next to the young man Roland would grow up to be, with his arm draped over Meredith, a little younger in the picture than the girl that sat before her. A wide grin broke out on her face when her eyes traced the other side of the photo. Henry, her beautiful little boy, was a full grown man. He stood almost a foot taller than her, (she assumed in this photo for whatever reason, she wasn't wearing heels, because Robin towered her too), and was gripping the ankles of a little boy as he sat astride his shoulders. A child who was obviously squealing in excitement; a child who looked so much like Robin it took Regina's breath away. His eyes were as dark as hers, though, and in a strange way, even though Roland bore much more resemblance to his mother, she could see also he looked a lot like Robin's first son too. Her thumb stroked over the strange child's beaming face, and she looked up at Meredith in question.

"That's Harrison. He's your youngest son."

She let out a sound that was somewhere in the middle of a laugh and a cry, and her eyes were drawn like a magnet back down to the old polaroid. It was the life Regina had always dreamed of, the life that had been snatched from her hands so cruelly by her mother on the faithful day Cora had veered a steed from its path and almost killed a young, naive princess in order to move Regina up in the world. It was the life she thought, even now, she would never have. A longing ache pulled at her heart; she couldn't wait for it.

Once Meredith started talking about their lives, she couldn't stop. She told Regina everything; Henry and Giselle, Roland and the trail of broken hearts he leaves in his wake, she told her of Harrison, how he's most definitely a daddy's boy (except when he's sick, then he is all about their mother), she told her of all the wonderful times they had shared as mother and daughter, as best friends, when she was growing up, she told her how their relationship, for whatever reason, had turned sour as Meredith reached her teens and now they do nothing but argue. She saw hurt flash across Regina's face as she said that, but quickly redeemed the idea with a "don't worry, if I ever get back home, if I haven't screwed things up, I promise from now on I'll be on my best behavior."

Regina drank Meredith's words in, reveling in every detail of the life that sat before her, when a sudden, horrifying thought crossed her mind. None of this would come about though ... not now the whole town knew who Meredith was. Not since this witch - and Regina seethed at the thought of some unknown practitioner of the dark arts daring to put _her_ child through anything as harrowing as time travel - had made Meredith appear in a time eighteen years prior to her own. Her stomach churned as her perfect, dream life was threatened. Meredith had been right to not tell them who she was, she had been right to cast a glamour spell on herself, no matter how much it hurt that she had felt she couldn't go and tell Regina the second she'd arrived here. Meredith mentioned that in the timeline she came from, Marian had died because she was sick, she had died not long after the second curse had brought them back to Storybrooke. Regina had frowned, confused, because Marian had still been dead when the second curse hit, and her thoughts only became more perplexed when her daughter told her that, where she came from, she'd been told that Marian had never died in the first place. She'd never been told of a portal that sucked Emma and Killian into the past, she'd never been told that her parents were completely hostile towards one another in the Enchanted Forest. Regina was stumped; Meredith had only just arrived here, so how on earth could anything prior have been altered from the time travel? Her mind raced with possibilities; what exactly was this witch trying to change?

She put her burning questions to the back of her mind as a slight panic rose in her chest, and she ordered Meredith to go and retrieve her father.

Meredith gulped at the idea of talking to Robin, but she nodded and moved away from her mother at once. She could tell something was bothering her mother, and as she made her way back through the eerily quiet corridors of the hospital, Meredith couldn't help but feel yet more stress settle in her stomach.

The scene of the waiting room had changed since she'd left it. Mary Margaret, David, Gold, Belle and Hook had all gone home. Little John had been called to visit Alan-a-Dale, who was thankfully awake, though a little battered and bruised from the force of the car he'd been knocked behind throwing his body backwards. Her father sat with Roland in his lap, holding the now sleeping boy to his chest. Her brother was straddling their dads lap, with his head resting over his heart and his arms dropped lazily by his sides. Meredith ignored the curious eyes she received from Emma and Henry, and moved to stand in front of the archer.

"Mom wants to see you," she said quietly. He gave her a very quick glance before looking back down at Roland and nodding. He stood up, his boy still in his arms, and moved past her without a word. Meredith felt her heart sink further, and she preyed her mother was right, she preyed he would come round and not hate her for the rest of eternity.

* * *

A blend of grief and panic strangled Robin's chest when ambulances finally rounded the corner of Main Street and came to a screeching halt outside Town Hall after a time period that couldn't have been more then 5 minutes long but felt like hours upon hours.

The second Whale had confirmed Regina was breathing, Robin felt his feet hurry to his wife. Marian's lifeless form was near perfect; if his eyes ignored the sticky blood pooling her beautiful raven hair, she could have almost have been sleeping. His knees gave way and he pulled her into his arms as sobs wracked his body.

She was dead.

His best friend, his childhood sweetheart, the mother of his son ... gone. Again.

The pain in his heart made him breathless, and this couldn't be happening. She couldn't be gone, not when he had only just got her back. He cursed fate, he cursed whatever sick, twisted game this was - that she had been spared of a gruesome execution only to meet her end not a week later by a blow so hard to the back of her head her skull had caved in.

He didn't know what had happened, Alan was lying, bruised and bloodied, caught between a car and the building. Regina was completely unconscious, but other wise seemed to be unharmed - much to his relief - and Meredith was crouching on her knees in the middle of the street, holding her middle and rocking back and forth as she wailed. A battle of emotions raged inside his heart; this girl was his daughter, and it all made sense now. How drawn he had felt to her, how at ease they were together despite being perfect strangers, how for some reason unknown to him, he felt a fierce desire to protect her. One part of his heart longed to drop his wife's dead body to the ground and rush to the young girl, the image of his soulmate, to hold her in his arms until her cries subsided as they had in the jail cell the night before. He needed to stroke her hair and embrace her tightly, to tell her everything would be okay and make sure she wasn't in pain.

But the other side of his heart, the side that fell so easily into darkness the first time Marian had died, couldn't bare the sight of the teenager before him. Her magic had done this, she had done this. Whether purposely or not, his daughter was the reason his wife was now a lifeless corpse, his daughter was the reason Roland would grow up without a mother and a strange sense of irony fell on him, that poor Marian should escape her fate from death at Regina's hands only to be taken down by her daughter.

His mind was made up when he saw Henry and Emma move over to the girl, and the darker part of his humanity won out. He felt a glare fall on his face as he watched Emma pull Meredith up to her feet and pull her into an almost motherly embrace. He turned back to his wife, carefully moving his hand to feel the back of her head. Blood had matted her long hair, and the feel of her bone crushed to pieces as warm, crimson liquid poured down his arm was something Robin knew he would never forget the feeling of. His chest hitched and his breath shuddered as he moved his face closer to hers, and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

He was partially aware of the movement, of the people and the shouts happening around him. He knew the Merry Men were currently helping the fire brigade - when did they turn up? - move the car that was pinning poor Alan to the wall, and, as though he could feel she was being moved, he quickly snapped his head in the direction of the first ambulance. Whale was helping two paramedics carefully lift Regina onto a gurney.

"What are you doing?!" He yelled, quickly, but gently, setting Marian's body back down on the ground and hurrying over to the doctor. Mary Margaret was sobbing silently as David held her in strong arms, but Robin ignored the couple.

"We've got to get her to hospital Robin, I need to check her vitals over. Are you coming in the ambulance or do you want to stay here and ..." Whale cast his eyes over Robin's shoulder and back down to Marian's lifeless form. He grimaced, not wanting to say the words so bluntly but not having the time or patience to add tact.

Robin was completely torn, he looked back down at his wife and then to the sleeping beauty on the gurney standing at his hip.

"The paramedics will be bringing Marian to the hospital now anyway, Robin." Whale said, sensing the archer's turmoil. Robin nodded.

"I'll come," he said quietly. Whale nodded and continued to ready the stretcher.

Robin turned back to his wife and stopped in his tracks, feeling his chest contract with grief. Friar Tuck was kneeling by her side, a gentle hand on her forehead as he muttered prayers and soft words in a whisper with closed eyes as his friends freed Alan behind him. He made his feet walk over to the priest, and clapped a grateful hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to the hospital with Regina," he said, waiting for a reaction he didn't receive. Tuck merely nodded with sorrow, understanding Robin's need not to leave his lover's side. "Dr Whale said they will take her to the hospital too with Alan ..." he looked down at her peaceful face, and didn't bother to hide the tears the slipped from his eyes. "Could you ... could you please not leave her?"

Tuck nodded gravely, his own mouth trembling.

"Robin!" His name was called, and he looked up to see Archie hurrying towards him. Archie, a man he'd come to know well during their time together in the Enchanted Forest, a man who would sit and listen to him vent about how insufferable Regina was, and then eventually how much he was strangely drawn to her, a man who, as it dawned on Robin in horror, had been holding onto his son when Regina had pulled the doors shut.

Roland.

He was a failure, putting his own selfish grief above that of his child's. "Roland, is he-"

"He's fine, Robin. I haven't let him come outside ... he ... he doesn't know about his mother. I think it would be best coming from you," the cricket said, and Robin agreed. Little John came up beside them.

"He can come to the hospital with me and Al after they've taken her body." He clasped a firm grip on Robin's shoulder in reassurance. "Don't worry Robin, I've got your boy."

So he left them. He left the chaos and the carnage in the back of a sterile ambulance, preying he wouldn't lose a second love tonight. He held Regina's hand tightly in his own, stroking her skin with his thumb and never once letting his eyes leave her face. Medical jargon fell in a string of words from Whale's mouth that Robin didn't understand, _her vitals are strong_, he had said, and that was about the only piece of news he had to hold onto.

He was grateful for Whale's presence until the point he wasn't. Until the point the doctor had nearly forced him to stay in the waiting room while they checked Regina over, it wasn't hospital protocol, to have loved ones in the ER with patients. Robin had blown his top. Grief and loss and panic overwhelmed him, and Little John had grabbed hold of his arm before it swung back and belted the frustrating medical practitioner straight in the face. He wasn't sure when everyone had arrived, but his friends stern words, and the fact his little boy was sat looking lost in the corner of the room, made Robin take a shuddered, deep breath, before asking Whale more politely then he wanted to, if he could please stay with Regina, and that he wouldn't get in the way. The doctor had given a curt nod before leading him to the ER.

They had moved her, after establishing she wasn't in any serious danger, that she was in a coma-like state, to her own room on a ward. Robin had stayed sitting in an uncomfortable chair by her side for what seemed like an eternity, before his ears pricked at the sound of a little cough. He was standing over her lying form in a second, stroking her hair and calling her name, pulling her from the unconscious state that had driven him nearly to the brink of madness. She frowned as she took in her surroundings.

"What happened?" She asked quietly, swallowing thickly. Robin's shoulders dropped, and he perched himself on the bed beside her.

"Meredith-"

"Is she okay?" Regina asked, sitting up quickly and wincing. Robin pushed her back.

"She's fine," he replied quietly, ignoring the rage that filled his chest at the mention of his daughter. Regina nodded, clearly relieved, and rested her head back on the overstuffed pillows. When her eyes caught the sight of the dried blood on his arm, she gripped his limb with worried frown. "Whose blood is this?" She asked.

He looked into her eyes, tears clouding his own before telling her, "Marian's ... she's dead."

The colour drained from Regina's face. "No ... she can't be ... I ... I jumped in front of her, I stopped her from getting the full blast of the magic!" Tears pooled in her dark eyes, and Robin tried to swallow the thick lump in his throat.

"It wasn't the magic. Not directly, at least. The force knocked you both backwards and she ... she hit her head," he said, before having to bring up his hand to cover his mouth as a fresh wave of grief overtook him. Regina's arms were round him in a heartbeat, and she pulled him down to lie next to her on the bed as he sobbed, holding his head against her chest. His arms moved round her waist and he pulled her closer, feeling nothing but comfort in the warmth of her embrace and the scent of her skin.

He couldn't be sure how long he stayed in her arms.

When he was ready to move - because she would never tell him to, she would never make him leave without knowing he was ready - he pulled back, and Regina thumbed the wetness away from his face before leaning forward and catching his lips with her own.

"I am so, so, sorry. I know how awful it feels," she started.

"To lose someone you love, yes, I know you do."

"No, Robin ... I know how awful it feels to lose someone you love twice."

He frowned at her, confused by her words. She sighed, before re-opening old wounds and relaying to him a fascinatingly heart wrenching tale, of how Whale had actually managed to breathe life to Daniel's corpse and bring her love back from the dead, of the monster he'd been and how he had almost killed Henry, of how hopeful, how overjoyed she was that he was alive only for her dreams to be crushed all over again when he had told her to kill him. A fresh sense of awe for his Queen fell on him, and he found it fitting that their souls really had been through incredibly similar tortures. No wonder they were destined to be together.

"I have to go and tell Roland," he said sadly. Sympathy washed over Regina's face as she nodded and kissed him chastely once more before pressing her forehead against his and whispering a quiet, _good luck_.

"Could you," she started as he reached the door, "could you ask Henry and Meredith to come in here?"

He nodded, leaving her room as the Blue fairy, mother superior, he reminded himself, entered.

As he walked back to the waiting room, his mind reeled at all the possible ways he would tell his child he had lost his mother again. The sight of his little boy, perched on John's lap, when he rounded the corner to the waiting room broke his heart all over again. He was met with several pairs of eyes, and a jump up from Emma and Henry. He glanced his eyes over at Meredith, who looked utterly broken. Guilt settled in his stomach, but he still found the irrational anger take hold of his heart. He turned to Henry, watching the delight on his face when he uttered the words they'd all waited to here. Regina was awake. As he informed them of her progress, Roland scrambled from John's lap and hurried over, reaching his arms up and searching for the comforting embrace he only found in his father. Robin lifted his son with ease, settled him on his hip and felt his head lull against Roland's when his little face fell to rest in the crook of his neck. He asked after Al, and felt relief flood his body when he heard he would be fine, thanking god he hadn't lost yet another loved one. He informed Henry that Regina wanted to see him, then turned, quickly shooting a glance at his daughter before looking down at Roland's foot. When he told her she wanted to see her too, Meredith got up and slipped past him without a glance, and hurried after Henry.

"Are you sad, papa?" Roland's voice asked as his daughter left the room. Robin squeezed Roland tighter to his body before swinging his little body round and sitting him on a waiting chair. He knelt down so his eyes were level with his son and let his arms fall either side of Roland's legs.

"Yes, my boy. I am sad."

Roland leaned forward and placed two tiny palms either side of Robin's face. "Is Regina still sleeping?" He asked innocently, because he clearly thought that was the reason Robin was sad.

He shook his head. "No, Roland, Regina is awake. She can't wait to see you," he said, giving a slight smile as his son's face lit up in delight before turning serious once more and dropping his hands back in his lap. He scrunched his face up and tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Then why are you sad?"

Robin felt his lip tremble, but he bit back the cries that threatened and took a deep breath in. "Because your mamma ... she got hurt."

"Is she okay?"

"No ... no my boy, she isn't." A strangled sound escaped his mouth, and Roland's eyes widened in alarm. Robin had never once let Roland see him cry, (not that he had every really been an emotional sort of man anyway), but the fact he was so openly now obviously threw the little boy. "Mommy's gone to heaven again."

Roland's shoulder's sagged slightly, and his mouth and as his eyes, his big chocolate eyes that looked so much like Marian's it hurt Robin to look in them, stared at Robin in somber.

"Why? Did she like heaven better then Storybrooke?"

Robin's forehead fell to Roland's knee for a brief moment while he pulled himself together and took a deep breath. He was just too young to understand all this, so when Robin looked up again, he made sure a warm smile was on his face.

"She loved being here, being with you. She didn't want to go back to heaven, she wanted to stay here with you ... because she loved you with all of her heart and soul."

"Then why did she leave, daddy?"

"Because sometimes, someone is so special they have to go to heaven a little earlier then they're meant to. Your mamma went back to heaven because she has to be an angel now. But she will always be with us, she'll always be in our hearts as long as we remember her, and think of her always."

Roland, who seemed satisfied with Robin's explanation, gave a firm nod. "I'll miss mamma. And I won't forget her, not ever."

Robin rubbed his forearms, almost grateful that his son was too young to understand the magnitude of what it was to lose one's mother. He reasoned however, Marian had only been back in Roland's life for a week, and if this had to happen, if fate had to take her away all over again, Robin was glad it was before Roland got too attached to her.

And he felt sick with guilt for feeling that way.

Henry came back after a few minutes, telling Emma Regina wanted some time alone with Meredith. The two settled back down in the waiting chairs, and the hours wore on. Roland fell asleep against Robin's shoulder, in his lap, as Belle and Gold bid their goodnights and condolences. The brunette in question gave Robin's hand a firm squeeze, her eyes communicating she was here should he need her, and he squeezed her fingers back, grateful for his friend. Mary Margaret and David left with Hook not too long after, announcing they should probably relieve poor Granny of babysitting duties.

The hours ticked on, and Robin settled comfortably with his sleeping child in his arms as John stayed with Alan, and Tuck - who had kept his word and come to the hospital with Marian's body - had left to inform the other Merry Men what was happening.

Meredith reappeared in the room a while later, looking awkwardly round before telling him Regina needed to see him. He got up slowly, carefully shifting Roland slightly so his head lulled on Robin's shoulder instead of his chest, and made his way without a word to her room.

Regina looked panicked when he arrived. She was pacing the room, wearing black silk pj's with thin spaghetti straps that hugged her curves in a way that Robin would have greatly appreciated if the circumstances had been different. He guessed she had conjured that outfit the second she was alone, because, frustratingly, even a near death experience wouldn't stop her from looking spectacular.

"You should be resting," he said sternly, earning a roll of her eyes as she moved to gently take Roland from his arms. He stirred slightly as she tucked him in the hospital bed.

"Regina?" He mumbled, and she placed a soft kiss on his head whispering, _go back to sleep, baby_. The boy was flat out in seconds.

"We have a serious problem." She said, beginning to pace the room again. Robin sighed heavily, why couldn't, just for once, they enjoy an evening without drama?

"And what might that be?"

"Meredith," she replied, as though he was idiotically ignoring her point.

"What about her?"

"Robin, she's our daughter! The whole_ town_ knows who she is!"

He sighed, not ready to get into all this tonight. "I know. But what can we do about it?! She wasn't exactly subtle in her reveal, was she?!"

Regina recoiled, like she'd been slapped, and anger fell on her expression. Not once did her voice get loud, for Roland's sake, but the whispered tones she spoke in got more spitting and harsh as their conversation went on.

"This isn't her fault, Robin! None of it is!"

He couldn't hold back the sarcastic snort that fell from his mouth.

"You want someone to blame for Marian? Blame me!" She said, because she couldn't bare the thought of him lying fault with their child. "I'm the one who knocked back into her, she broke my fall, hell, she probably wouldn't have hit her head if it wasn't for me!"

"You were just trying to protect her!"

"Meredith tried to get everyone out of the way! No one knew Marian was still outside, Robin, please ... you can't blame her for this. It's eating her alive, she thinks you hate her!"

He sighed. "I don't hate her," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing his tired eyes with the heels of his hands. Regina moved closer to him, pressing her body against his and raking her nails across his scalp.

"I'm glad to hear that, because we're pretty much stuck with her now," she said. He looked up in surprise. Surely she couldn't mean the poor girl never had a chance of getting back to her timeline?

Regina knew from his expression he didn't know what she was getting at, and she smiled. "I'm pregnant."

His heart stopped.

"You're ..." His eyes went down to her stomach, as though he would see evidence of it so soon. "How do you know?"

"I don't ...not for sure, Whale's gonna do some blood tests for me. But Meredith said she was conceived the first time you and I were together."

His hands found her hips, thumbs stroking over the bones as he kept his eyes on her perfectly flat tummy. A small smile tugged at his lips, and Regina felt relief flood through her veins.

"She told me all about our life." His interest peaked then, and he looked up curiously. Regina's smile was the most genuine he'd seen it in days. "We're so happy ... everything is so ... _good_."

She reached over to the sideboard that sat next to the bed and pressed a battered old photograph in his hands.

The image took his breath away.

"We have the life we've always wanted, Robin," she said, and he nodded in agreement, letting his eyes graze over the strangers in the picture before him. Regina gripped his wrist, nails digging into his tattoo, and his eyes moved back up to her own. She looked terrified.

"This won't ever happen, we're never gonna have this exact life now people know. We don't have anyway of finding out what this will have changed."

"But what can we do?"

"We have to make everyone forget, _we_ have to forget. We have to replace everyone's memories of her with something else," she said, desperately trying to fling onto a life that hadn't yet happened. A life he knew she wanted to badly she'd do anything to get. He swallowed before looking at her gravely.

"How can you make everyone forget, Regina?"

She took a deep breath. She wouldn't let this life not happen, she wouldn't ruin her children's future, she wouldn't risk Harrison not existing.

"I'm going to curse them all."

* * *

**I know, I know, enough with the cliffhangers! But … you love them really! ha!**

**I really hope I did this chapter and the character's reactions justice. I know some of you may find it difficult to swallow Robin's anger, but i promise he doesn't truly blame Meredith, it's just his grief talking. I hope the way Robin told Roland about Marian was appropriate too, that was the trickiest bit for me to write. Also, I hope everyone understands Regina's need to curse the town again! Please review, I love knowing what you all think!**


	21. Chapter Twenty

**A/N: Thank you SO much for all of your wonderful reviews, I'm sorry this chapter has taken me all week to post, but I wanted to get ahead of myself with the writing, as we're nearing the end of the story now and I will HOPEFULLY be managing one update a night after this :) **

**To the guest who has told me you've made Fan Art of Meredith… I would LOVE to see it! Send me a link if you can, I beg! I'm hopeless at the sort of stuff, so anyone who has done so or wants to, just let me know so I can see it! It's so exciting for me! **

* * *

The next two days went by in a blur for Meredith. Regina insisted she move back into her house while Robin relocated back to Granny's, to be closer to Roland and the Merry Men, he said, though Meredith had a sinking feeling it was because Regina refused to let her continue to sleep in jail and he didn't want to be around her. They still hadn't spoken a word to each other since Marian's death.

"I don't mind, honestly," she had told her mother. "Dad shouldn't have to be holed up in Granny's with Roland, he needs you right now."

"What he _needs_ is to stop sulking," Regina had replied. "I'm fully aware he's grieving right now, but none of this is your fault, and he knows it. Until he's ready to accept that, he can stay at the old dog's house." She hadn't argued with her mother after that.

Jadis had stayed quiet, and there was a growing gnawing in Meredith's gut that told her if they didn't deal with her soon, she would gain full strength and then they really would be in trouble.

Word was out round the entire town now that Meredith was Regina and Robin's daughter. She hadn't bothered recasting her glamour spell, what was the point now she'd screwed everything up anyway? She had avoided going outside like the plague, knowing the stares she would receive, and possibly the overwhelming questions about what happens in the future. How the hell would she know now? Everything had to have changed, if it hadn't, why the hell would her mother not have told her about all this? If the Regina she knew, knew about Meredith's trip to the past, there was no way in hell she would have so much as let her out of her sight, let alone out of the house and into the woods. There'd have been a magical tracker round her neck from the moment she was born.

Meredith let out a stretch before burying her face further into the pillow of her bed. She had tossed and turned all night before finally giving up attempting to get a good nights sleep. She didn't bother getting up to open to curtains, she was too sick of the sight of snow to muster the energy to move and draw them back, only to be met with more of the cold white ice that had comfortably settled over the town.

There was a soft knock on the door that pulled her attention away from the window. Regina came in with a gentle smile and set a steaming, hot mug of cocoa down on the bedside table. Meredith sat up gingerly, her muscles still ached from her magical explosion.

"How are you feeling?" Regina asked, perching herself on the beds edge and gripping Meredith's hand tightly in her own.

"I'm okay, I guess," she said, knowing Regina could see the exhaustion in her face. Her mother nodded knowingly.

"Me and Belle have been working hard trying to figure out how we can re-open the portal that brought you here. I know Gold said only you could do it, but it seems he's had a change of heart since the bookworm's been breathing down his neck for a solution."

Meredith felt her shoulders sag slightly. "What's the point in re-opening it, though? Who knows what I've changed in the future."

Regina frowned. "But ... you can't stay here, Meredith. Nothing will come to pass if you do. Unless you can remember an older version of yourself running around Storybrooke eighteen years from now?"

Meredith felt tears sting her eyes, and shifted in the warm sheets of her bed to cross her legs and grip her mother's hands with both of her own. "I can leave town. I'll leave and you and dad can have the exact life I told you about."

"What, so I can loose you again in the future? I don't think so. We're re-opening that portal. Getting you back home is the most important thing, you let me worry about what you've changed," Regina said firmly. Meredith frowned, not liking the affirmation that grazed her mother's face.

"But ... how are you going to make sure I haven't changed anything?"

Regina pursed her lips before taking a deep breath and letting Meredith in on her plan. "I'm going to replace everyone's memories of you with me."

Meredith's face dropped, and Regina had to smile at the almost awe that she saw flash across her daughter's face. The Queen had thought it through and through, going over every detail in her mind with a fine toothed comb before finally deciding it was definitely the right thing to do. She would rid Meredith of everyone's minds completely, and replace anything magical they had seen her do with herself. Marian's death was the only thing that still niggled at Regina's conscience. She couldn't, no matter how much she wanted to, make people think she was the one to magically explode in the street, because everyone knew she was extremely controlled with her magic, and the last thing she wanted was for Robin to think she was responsible for his wife's death. She would have taken the blame for Meredith in a heartbeat; the townspeople's gossip that would inevitably follow wouldn't bother her, she'd been on the receiving end of that before, but she couldn't risk Robin hating her for it, not standing by her with her pregnancy or for them to go on and have Harrison. The solution she'd come up with was one she hoped would give everyone the best possible outcome. She would replace everyone's memory of Marian's death and make them believe Marian got sick, as she had once upon a time, and succumbed to illness when Dr Whale couldn't save her. Regina knew it was risky, but she wanted Roland to keep his memories of the maiden, and Robin to remember he had forgiven her for Marian's original demise.

"But ... how are you going to make every forget? You can't possibly have enough ingredients to make potions for every person in town?" Meredith asked curiously, clearly not catching on to Regina's plan.

Regina took another deep breath and squeezed her daughter's hand, rolling her thumb over her knuckles. "I'm going to curse them."

Meredith's eyes widened. "Mom ... you can't curse them ... not again, they'd never forgive you."

She chuckled, even though nothing about any of this was funny. "You know, generally when you curse someone you do it so they won't remember to be mad at you, or do anything about it."

"But ... but if it gets broken, if they find out ... the whole town would crucify you!"

Regina leaned forward, cradling Meredith's face in her hands and gently stroking her thumbs across the girls cheek bones. She looked so worried, and it warmed Regina's heart that one day she would have a family who would be so concerned for her welfare. It was something even with Robin she wasn't yet used to. Loneliness had been her friend for far too long a time. "I don't think they would, but it's a risk I'm willing to take."

Meredith shook her head in disbelief. "You would risk your reputation, your life for me? Why?"

"Because I'm your mother. It's what mom's do. I'm not going to let you not grow up with the life you deserve because of some crummy little witch who wanted to change something in the past. And if you get back there and she has a problem with it, she can take it up with _me_. I'd like to see her try and beat me down with magic when it comes to my children. That is a fight I can assure you she wouldn't win."

Meredith smiled in awe at her mother, she couldn't believe the risk she was willing to take, the fierceness she was showing with her love and protection before she had even raised her. Meredith reached forward, pulling Regina into a strong embrace and burying her face in her mother's hair. Regina smiled, hugging Meredith back hard.

"Now," Regina said, tucking a stray strand of dark hair, that had fallen from Meredith's messy pony tail, behind her ear. "You're going to get dressed, and you and I are going out."

"Where are we going?"

"Today is Marian's funeral."

Meredith felt her heart drop. "I can't go to that."

"You're going," Regina said simply.

"Mom, I can't. Dad won't want me there." There was a pleading to her voice that Regina chose to ignore.

"Today isn't about Robin. It's about Marian. And you need closure on her death just as much as he does. Now get dressed. It starts in an hour."

She left the room with a gentle kiss to her child's forehead and no other words. Meredith felt her shoulders sag as she watched Regina leave. The very last thing she wanted was to cause her father anymore pain, and Meredith had a strong feeling she'd do just that if she had the audacity to actually show up to his wife's funeral.

Nonetheless, an hour later, Meredith found herself trudging through the snow of the graveyard, arm in arm with her mother as they made their way to the burial of dear Maid Marian. Butterflies fluttered around Meredith's tummy, and she stayed near deathly silent as they walked, disturbing the fresh snow that had fallen as they went. She nearly slipped on the ice more than once, cursing the boots she'd borrowed from her mother and wishing she'd just stuck to her own comfy, albeit scruffy, Doc Martin's. She had to look respectable, Regina had said, and thrust the patent leather boots with the chunky heels into her arms without another argument.

When they eventually reached the burial site, everyone was already there.

Each of the Merry Men were huddled around the grave, looking grief stricken and tired. David and Mary Margaret were standing with Emma, Hook and Archie a little further back. Robin was standing closest to the deep hole in the ground, gripping a tight hold on Roland's hand, who was staring down into the pit with sorrow, his little face bitten pink in the cold air, and wool hat falling slightly over his eyes. All eyes fell on Regina and Meredith as they made their way over to Robin. Meredith swallowed thickly, feeling a fresh wave of guilt wash over her, and just as she was about to back down and run in the opposite direction, Regina held her head even high, and pulled Meredith towards her father with a strength that was deceiving of her height and build.

Robin gave Regina a grateful, sad smile before nodding at Tuck to begin the service. Regina's arm untangled from Meredith's when she was sure the girl wouldn't run off, and Roland moved closer towards her, reaching up with his arms. Regina lifted boy with ease, settling him on her hip as he let his head fall on her shoulder, and she moved to lace her fingers through Robin's, giving his hand a squeeze, gesturing she was there for him without words. He didn't look at her, but the clutch he gave her back told Regina he was grateful for her presence. She glanced a look back at their daughter, suddenly wishing she had more than two arms so she could hold Meredith as well as Roland and Robin.

Meredith felt a painful lump fill her throat as she looked down at the glossy oak of Marian's coffin. Tears blurred her vision as Tuck began a beautiful eulogy, telling the small congregation standing in the cold of what a kind soul Marian was, and how the time she had been granted back with her family was one he knew she was nothing but grateful for. Guilt pressed down on her chest, and Meredith avoided the eyes of everyone, paranoid that they were all judging her for turning up, all blaming her for the death of their friend like she blamed herself. Because it would never matter how many times her mother told her it wasn't her fault, or how many times she told herself the loss of control over her magic was something she couldn't help, she would always feel responsible for killing her father's wife. She would never not be accountable for Roland having to grow up without his mother. Nothing was the same now, and even if she did get back to the future, even if Regina's curse worked and the whole town forgot, Meredith would always know. The idea of going home and looking Roland and her father in the eye, holding such a massive secret was almost making her wish she didn't have to get back there.

She took in a deep, shuddered breath as Tuck finished his speech and nodded towards her father. Robin moved from his spot next to Regina and headed to where the Friar had previously been standing. Regina adjusted Roland on her hip slightly, forgetting the weight even a little five year old could have on her back now she was pregnant. He wrapped his mitten covered hands round her neck, hanging on her side like a little monkey; if the situation weren't so grave, Regina would have chuckled at him. She rocked Roland from side to side gently, resting her temple against his as they watched Robin take a deep breath and begin his speech. He didn't look anywhere near as grief stricken as he had the night Marian had died, and it occurred to Regina it was probably because it was a situation he had gone through before. He had grieved Marian once already, and no matter how cruel it was, for fate to make him do it again, he knew it was possible to live without her; unlike the first time he had laid her to rest, when he didn't know how on earth he would continue his existence.

"Marian ... my dear Marian. I don't know where to begin. I've said this speech once before in my life, a long time ago, but somehow the words I spoke then don't seem as fitting now. I don't need to tell you how much I loved you, how much I still love you, because you know that. I don't need to thank you for being a wonderful mother to our son in the short time you were given back to us, because I know thanks isn't what you'd want for something that came so naturally to you. You died saving the life of our dear friend," he looked over to Alan, whose lips were trembling; Meredith had no doubt he felt just as guilty as she did. "And I can think of no other death befitting such a selfless person. I'm so incredibly grateful you came back to us, but I'm even more devastated you were taken away again. I can't comprehend what life will be like now, without you. Our family has once again gained a void that will never be filled. I miss you, I will miss you, for as long as I have air in my lungs. My love, my wife, my friend."

Meredith let out a sob she didn't realise she was holding back, but before she could fall apart, Regina gently placed Roland back down and moved to wrap one arm around her daughter. Roland's head buried into her legs as Robin was the first to pick up the shovel and drop dirt over his wife's coffin. The rest of the Merry Men followed suit as he moved back to stand next to Regina, who glanced at him in sorrow while she comforted their daughter. Robin's eyes lingered on the young girl, whose face was hidden in the crook of Regina's neck, and he finally felt the rage that roared in his chest over the past few days subside. He pulled Roland back from his lover's legs, giving Regina the chance to take hold of the shovel.

The Queen watched with a heavy heart as mud fell on the glossy oak wood. "I'll take care of them," she whispered, sending a silent promise to the heavens, to her soulmates dead wife. Emma walked forward, trying to take the shovel from Regina's hands, but instead the Queen pressed the handle into Meredith's hand. Her daughter's eyes were full of sorrow and grief, and she shook her head with a sob when Regina let go, leaving her standing by the grave with no other option but to say good bye and pay her respects as was expected of her.

Meredith's hands trembled as she pushed the metal into the mound of soil next to the grave, and when she looked down at the coffin deep in the ground, she began to cry openly, not caring that she was in front of everyone.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed as the dirt hit the coffin lid with a thud, heavier than it usually would have been without the wetness of snow weighing it down. She turned and pressed the shovel into Emma's hands quickly, then ran as fast as her legs would take her away from the burial site.

Regina called after her, suddenly thinking maybe she hadn't done the right thing by making Meredith come. She was about to run after her daughter when she felt Robin push Roland's little hand into her own.

"I'll go," he said, giving her a small nod. "I'll meet you all in Granny's."

And with that, he took off after his daughter.

* * *

He didn't have to wander far. Meredith was sitting on an fallen tree trunk just off the forest's edge, sobbing into her hands. The site broke his heart, and he was suddenly cursing the behavior he'd been basking in for the past two days. This girl was no more responsible for Marian's death then Alan was. Robin sat down beside his daughter without a word, letting her sobs subside on their own, knowing there was no point in telling her not to cry, and hoping that just his presence would be enough to soothe her.

"Did mom send you to give me a pep talk?" She asked when she eventually caught her breath, wiping her tears away and flicking her hair behind her shoulder, not once looking him in the eye. He very nearly let out a laugh at her words, the very words Regina had asked him not two weeks earlier at this very spot. Even with her bright blue eyes, she was her mother from head to toe. How had he not seen that the very moment they'd met? Her sass had never been covered with a glamour spell, neither had the roll of her eyes, or the way she pursed her lips, or arched her eyebrow. He shook his head slowly, waiting for her to talk if she needed to.

"Look, you don't have to talk to me if-"

"I don't blame you," he interrupted, needing to get the sentence out before he backed down. Meredith caught his gaze in shock, so he repeated himself. "I can do nothing but apologise that I was so angry before, I just ... I need you to know that I don't blame you for her death. And I certainly don't hate you."

Meredith didn't know what to say, and simply looked at her dad. The hatred she had seen in his eyes two days prior when this whole mess had begun had completely disappeared, and was replaced with nothing but concern. He looked more like her papa now then he had in the entire time she'd been in this past Storybrooke. Meredith pressed her lips together and tried to smile gratefully. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"Regina said you were holding yourself responsible?" Meredith looked down at her lap, readying herself for yet another verse of _'it isn't your fault'_. "You know ... the first time Marian died, I thought it was my fault."

Meredith's ears pricked up, and curiosity got the better of her. She looked back at her dad, who began to talk of a tale she had never heard before.

"We got word that the bandit Snow White was lurking in Sherwood Forest, and I ordered the Merry Men to hide her, should they come across her. One night we went out on a job and when we arrived back in camp, Marian was gone. Tuck was fast asleep next to Roland, and he had no idea where she'd gone. The next day word reached my ears that she had been killed by the Queen's black knight's for aiding in Snow White's escape. I lost my way after that, the guilt was too much to bear."

"But, it wasn't your fault, how could you have known she would help Snow White on that night?"

"And how could you have known your magic would implode like that? On that night, at that time? How were you to know Regina would trap us in the Town Hall, or that Marian would stay outside to help Alan? You couldn't. It's something I was constantly told by the Merry Men. But their words never helped, much like I'm sure me sitting here telling you that you're not responsible for Marian's death now, won't help you either. But I will say this, Meredith; the guilt was something that plagued me, and after a while, something I learned had become a part of me. It began to affect everything I was doing, the decisions I was making, and putting my family in danger. I was reckless and impulsive, and my wife was dead, so what did it matter if I was killed during some job we didn't really need to do? On the contrary, I welcomed death. If I was killed, it meant I wouldn't have to suffer the guilt any longer."

"What made you change?" Meredith asked quietly.

"I finally admitted to myself she was gone. And at the hands of black knight's, not my own. I had to let the guilt go, or it would eat me alive, and then where would that leave Roland? It was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, but it was also something that would never have happened at the assurance of other people. It didn't matter how many times I was told her death wasn't my fault, so I won't say it to you now. I do not believe you are at fault, but I know my words will be lost on you until you're ready to let the guilt go on your own accord."

He reached over and gave Meredith's hand a gentle squeeze before pulling her into a strong embrace. A fresh wave of tears hit her eyes; it was the first hug she'd had from her father since she'd left her Storybrooke a week ago. She was nothing but grateful for his words, aiding his advice without shoving assurance down her throat. He was right, she wasn't ready to be told she had no part in Marian's death, and while there was a small part of her that knew he was right, that knew time would help heal the guilt, at that particular moment in time, Meredith couldn't see the end to her sorrow. She appreciated that he didn't push her to feel better, and instead just let her bask in her emotions. After a short while of them just holding each other, Robin stood and held out his hand, offering to pull Meredith to her feet.

"Let's go back to the others, shall we?"

* * *

Regina was stood at the edge of a booth in Granny's, slowly cutting up Roland's food while the diner filled with mourners, and nosey townsfolk alike. She hadn't really said much to anyone, too busy preying Robin wasn't being too hard on their daughter. Mary Margaret and Emma were sitting opposite Roland. The look on the blonde's face was one of almost disbelief, that Regina could be so caring over a small child. The Queen had to bite her tongue and remind herself that the savior hadn't been around when Henry was little, before he learned of his adoption and the whole thing had turned sour. She hadn't seen that Regina was actually very capable of being a loving mother. She placed the knife and fork down gently by Roland's plate and knelt down to his level, pulling his mittens off and kissing each of his palms as she went before pulling off his wool hat and ruffling his hair. She was about to scoot Roland over and sit next to him when Henry came up behind her.

"Hey mom," he said, though she couldn't be sure whether he was talking to her or Emma. She smiled down at her son.

"Hey kid, you hungry?" Emma asked.

He nodded. "I'm gonna get a burger," he said, placing his coat on the back of the booth and moving over to the counter.

"Is everything alright, Roland?" Mary Margaret asked, making Regina look down at the little boy, whose face was scrunched up in confusion as he looked between Emma and Regina. He put down the fork he had been awkwardly holding and swallowed his food before looking up at Regina.

"Are you Henry's mommy?"

She looked quickly over at the two women sitting opposite him, who looked just as baffled as she felt. "Of course I am, Roland. Why do you ask?"

"But ... I thought that Emma was Henry's mommy?"

She sighed heavily, feeling sorrow at his loss niggle in the pit of her stomach, and kneeled back down to his height once more, ignoring the ache in her spine as she moved.

"Emma is Henry's mommy, and so am I. See, Emma couldn't look after Henry like he needed when he was born, so I did."

"Yeah, see," Emma started, leaning against the table, "Henry was in my tummy, but Regina raised him, so we're both his mommy."

Roland looked down at his food while he processed what they had just told him. "Does Henry have a daddy?" He asked, obviously needing more information before he could understand.

Emma's eyes looked full of sorrow. "Yes, Henry has a daddy, but he's in heaven like your mamma."

"See Roland, there are lots of different kinds of families," Mary Margaret said, joining Emma with her elbows now resting on the table. "Some children have two mommies, some have two daddies, Henry's very lucky because he has two mommies and a daddy who watches over him from Heaven, just like your mommy will watch over you."

Regina gave the princess a small smile, grateful for her aid in explanation for the curious little boy sitting before them. He looked back at Regina suddenly, with large eyes full of anguish. "Did you not want to my mommy?"

Regina was gobsmacked, momentarily forgetting her ability to talk as he uttered such words. She reached forward and grasped his little hands in her own, suddenly remembering if he was going to feel better, she would actually have to answer him.

"Oh, Roland. I can think of nothing that would make me happier then being your mommy. Why would you think I wouldn't want you?"

He shrugged sadly. "You look after me like you look after Henry, and he has two mommies and a daddy, so I thought maybe that meant you would be my mommy too like mama who lives in heaven."

Her heart broke as Roland looked into her eyes with nothing but confusion and sadness in his own. "Do you want me to be your mommy?" She asked, not bothering to look at Emma and Mary Margaret for reassurance that what she was saying was the right thing. All that mattered to her in that instant was this little boy, the little boy she already thought of as her own, and his questions about what it was to be a family, to be a parent. His questions that he was far too young to fathom the answers too, but that she would give willingly anyway. She let out a loving smile as he nodded firmly at her question, and leaned in to rub her nose with his. "Well, if you want me to be your mommy then of course, I will be your mommy. But we have to ask your papa first, okay?"

"Ask me what?"

Robin's voice caught her off guard, and she was suddenly nervous; maybe saying what she had to Roland had over stepped the mark somehow. Just because she felt like Roland's mother in her heart, didn't mean Robin felt like that too. Meredith was standing just behind him, and Regina felt relieved she was no longer crying. Hopefully Robin had talked to her now like she'd asked him to.

"I want Regina to be mommy like Henry!" Roland explained happily. Robin looked between his son and Regina in shock.

Emma caught Regina's stumped expression, and back peddled for her. "I was just explaining to Roland how Henry has two mommies and a daddy in heaven, and he asked if Regina would look after him and be his mother like she is Henry's."

Mary Margaret and Emma scooted out of the booth, nodding towards Regina, who was pretty sure her knees had locked as she still knelt down, and moved to meet Henry, David and Killian over by the counter. Meredith slid across the seat opposite her brother, sneaking some of his fries into her mouth and letting out a giggle as Roland protested at her stealing his food. Regina looked up at Robin, who still had yet to respond, and held out her hand.

"Please help me up, I'm pretty sure I'm stuck like this," she said, voice nearly whining. He chuckled slightly and reached down to pull her up, not letting her hand go when she stood. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what to say to him," she whispered to Robin, moving her face closer to his so Roland wouldn't hear, but thankfully Meredith was entertaining him.

He moved his hand to the small of her back. "Well do you want to be his mother?" He asked, as though he was checking it was okay with her. Regina let her head fall to one side and furrowed her brow in disbelief.

"Seriously, how can you even ask that? I love Roland exactly as I love Henry and Meredith."

Robin shrugged and then smiled. "Well then it's fine with me." He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple and then slid into the booth next to Meredith, ordering Roland to scoot down and let his mother sit next to him.

Regina felt her heart swell at being called Roland's mother, but no one but her and Robin seemed to bat an eyelid to the term. Roland ... _her son_ ... did as he was told and scuttled along, silently accepting that Regina was now every bit his mother as Marian was.

As the afternoon wore on, Henry joined their table, and Robin couldn't help but smile at the warmth in Regina's eyes, at the warmth he felt spread through his heart. On a day that was heavy with heartache, he was so thankful he could look down at his little boy and see delight in his eyes as Henry read to him from his storybook, or as Meredith and Regina huddled together and laughed about something or other. It was exactly what Marian would have wanted. Her son and husband, nothing but happy.

By nightfall, Roland was fast asleep on Regina's lap, she was leaning heavily against Robin, feeling exhausted. Meredith and Henry were over by the counter lost in deep conversation. She used that moment to relay her plan to curse the town to Robin, speaking in a hushed voice she needn't have used, because the majority of the town had left, the Merry Men save Tuck and Little John had bid their good night's, and only her little family, Emma and the pirate, the un-charming's, Tink, and the newly wed Mr and Mrs Dark One remained in the diner with Ruby and Granny.

She could tell from his expression Robin absolutely detested her plan, but his with his lack of back chat it was obvious he could also see it was necessary.

"So when are you going to do it?" He asked, thumbing random strands of her hair with the arm that was draped over the back of the booth.

"Just as soon as we can figure out how to re-open the time portal."

Gold appeared at their side with Belle the second the words left her mouth. Regina preyed he hadn't heard her plan to curse them all, but from the look in his eye, she strongly suspected the Imp had.

"Speaking of time portals. I believe we may have figured out who it was that sent Meredith back here."

Regina sat up in interest, careful not to disturb her little boy sleeping soundly against her chest. Gold had spoken with a raised voice, loud enough to catch everyone's attention, and the group moved to situate themselves around the booth Regina and Robin were occupying. Rumple looked down at Meredith, who was desperately awaiting his thoughts by his side.

"You said you were lead to this witch with wisps, yes? That she was incredibly old and talked of nothing but changing your fate?"

She nodded, having regaled her account of what had happened numerous times over the past two days.

"Well then I do believe we have our answer."

"Stop with the allusiveness, Gold. I'm really not in the mood. Who was this witch?" Regina said sternly.

"I believe she is one of three. The fates. And I think if that's the case then we really haven't got a hope in hell's chance of re-opening that portal until Meredith here has done whatever she was brought here to do."

Regina snorted. "The fates? They don't exist. I thought they were just some old myth from the ancient world?"

Belle chimed in. "They are. But that doesn't mean they don't exist. Everything Meredith told us about the witch who sent her here rings true in every written account I've found about the fates. I was suspicious at first because of how Meredith was sent here. In a blinding white light?" The beauty looked back to Emma and Hook. "Does that sound like the portal you two went through last week?" They shook their heads. "That's because their magic is different. They're as old as time itself. We don't have any way of getting Meredith back to her time until-"

"Until I've fulfilled my fate." Meredith finished, looking at her parents gravely. "Jadis." She said simply, and horror washed over Regina at her daughter's words.

"You ... you think she sent you back here to defeat the White Witch?" The Queen said quietly, barely breathing.

"It all makes sense now. Jadis can freeze dark magic, which means Gold can't defeat her, but you and Emma aren't well versed enough in light magic to take her down in a battle. I've been trained from the day I was born in light magic. I'm stronger then any of you are here at the moment."

"But ... if that were true then wouldn't we remember you coming back to defeat her from your timeline?" David asked, voicing the one question Regina and Robin hoped no one would. Robin sighed before answering.

"We think Meredith always came back here. There are some massive inconsistencies in what she was told growing up to what has actually happened, things that happened before she arrived here, so could never have changed." He looked down at Regina, who nodded, giving the okay to carry on his story. "We think whatever it was that Meredith did while she was here, we were made to forget so the timeline never altered."

"How would we be made to forget?" Emma asked.

Regina shifted uncomfortably in her seat before letting her eyes rest on the saviors. "I'm gonna have to curse us all again. I don't have a choice."

A heavy silence fell on the room as the magnitude of what had to happen settled on them all. Meredith though, was grateful her mother had come clean to the rest, grateful that if this curse ever broke, they would all know she didn't have a choice. How could the town possibly persecute Regina when she had the backing of Emma Swan and Snow White? She shivered suddenly, the idea of facing Jadis filled Meredith with nothing but dread.

But the showdown would come sooner then she anticipated.

As though Jadis read her mind, thick ice began to crawl up the glass of Granny's diner, inching it's way inside the building slowly, but all the more menacingly. A loud, blood curdling cackle met their ears from outside. The White Witch had arrived.

Everyone moved with haste. Robin pulled Regina from the booth, who pressed Roland into Granny's arms and ordered the old lady to go upstairs with him and Henry and not come out until one of them told her to. Emma readied her gun, Hook and David drew their swords, and Gold conjured a scroll in his hand before tossing it through the air for Regina to catch. She rolled out the parchment, looking down at the foreign words mixed with elvish that graced the paper.

"That curse will make everyone forget. I trust you know what to do," he said. She nodded, thrusting the scroll into her pocket and moving to pull Meredith into a fierce embrace that Robin joined in, enveloping both his girls in his strong arms.

"I have to go and cast this now. We can't let Jadis live, not after I do this, okay?"

Meredith nodded, eyes filled with fear. Regina cupped her daughter's face with her hands. "We're all with you, okay? You're not doing this alone."

Meredith swallowed thickly before hugging her mother one last time. When she let go, Regina grasped Robin's hand in her own and promised they would be right back, then they disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

* * *

They appeared at the well in an instant. Robin gave her arm a gentle squeeze of support as Regina pulled him over to the old bricks that formed a deep pit in the ground. She conjured a small knife from thin air, and dragged the blade down her palm, letting out a yelp of pain through gritted teeth. Robin was about to ask what the hell she was doing when she reached over and did the same with his own hand, before grasping his palm against her own and mixing their blood. It dripped, thick and sticky into the deep waters below.

"Are you ready for this?" She asked, taking a deep breath. He nodded, then watched as Regina tore the paper from it's metal scroll and crushed it with her hands, before dropping into the well. The ground shook beneath them for a split second, and the beginnings of pink smoke began to creep out of the well. Regina looked down at her curse, ignoring the ever mounting panic that was rising through her body. This was absolutely the right thing to do. They would go and take down Jadis, and then Meredith would get back home and they would forget.

The plan was fool proof. So why couldn't she shake the feeling that something was about to go very, very wrong?

* * *

**Reviews make me one happy lady! Also, if anyone's confused (which I hope not) just let me know and I'll do my best to explain! Writing time travel sure is a pain in the ass!**


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

Meredith gnawed on her bottom lip nervously as Emma moved towards the diner's entrance. The blonde held her gun low to the floor, sweeping her eyes over each person in the room before finally letting her gaze fall on Meredith's.

"You ready for this? We've got your back," Emma said, but it didn't make her feel any better. Her mother and father had once told her that when she was very little, she would often entertain herself for hours hiding in plain sight, thinking if she couldn't see anyone they couldn't see her. She would cover her face with her hands, or squeeze her eyes shut, and as the outside world disappeared from her sight, she would think that she would have disappeared from everyone else's. In that second, standing directly in front of the diner door, waiting for her fate on the other side, Meredith wanted nothing more then to wait for her parents, wanted nothing more then to bury her face in her papa's chest and hide herself away from everything that was about to befall her. She nodded, answering Emma's question, but it was a lie. She had never been less ready for anything in her entire life.

The savior gave the handle a yank, and the ice that fused the hinges of the door cracked. The frosted door was so cold it steamed, and one by one, the group left the diner to fall into Main Street and face their enemy. Meredith was the last out, taking a deep, shuddered breath as her brain made her feet place themselves, one in front of the other. Her mother's boots made the fresh snow crunch under her feet, and as Meredith walked into the street, The Ice Queen rounded on her.

An evil smirk twitched across her mouth. This Queen looked as beautiful as ever, her face so perfect Meredith questioned if she could actually be human. The regal gown she had been wearing last time they had fought had been replaced with skin tight white leather pants and a jewel encrusted bodice that pulled in her waist and made her breasts nearly spill over the top. She was covering her shoulders with a floor length cloak made entirely of thick white fur, clasped together under her chin with a beautiful white and silver pendent. In one hand she held her septa, ornate as ever, with its alluring magic simmering in its glass tip, and in the other, a deadly thin sword with a handle just as embellished as her wand. The menacing insanity in her eyes made Meredith almost positive this witch was now at full strength. Meredith internally shuddered, desperately longing to throw her hands up in front of her face and disappear in a cloud of blue magic. But running was not an option. It never had been. She was Robin Hood and Queen Regina's daughter, and if there was one thing she had learned growing up, it was that you never backed down from a fight.

For a pause, no one said a word. It was only when Meredith made her audacious bravado mask her inner fears, did the Ice Queen finally let out another cackle. She moved gracefully, walking from one end of the group's line where Belle was standing down to the other where David flanked; back and forth continuously before finally coming to a halt thirty feet in front of Meredith.

"You know, I really haven't a clue why you bothered with the other face. Your true image is so much prettier," Jadis said, enunciating each letter with her teeth, a dirty grin plastered on her face.

Meredith shrugged nonchalantly. "Well ... I didn't want you to know I'm stronger _and_ prettier than you. We wouldn't want you to get jealous, now, would we?"

"You, girl, are not stronger than anyone," Jadis spat, her face turning from mock merriment to an ugly scowl - if she actually could look ugly, that is - and for a nanosecond, Meredith questioned whether or not provoking this woman any further would be a good idea. But she was her mother's daughter, she was finally beginning to accept, and the temptation not to wind this ancient witch up was just too great. Meredith let out an easy grin.

"And yet, I out smarted you. Twice. You know, you're really not living up to your legend, Jadis. I'm kinda disappointed."

Emma let out a harsh whisper from her left. "Are you really sure you wanna start pissing her off? She really doesn't seem stable enough to understand sarcasm!"

She was about to reply when her parents appeared, just down the street, in a puff of purple smoke. Robin was now holding the bow Meredith had conjured when she first arrived in this time, and she guessed her mother had called upon it as an extra weapon. Not to mention, his aim was nothing but perfection.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Jadis said as they walked to meet the group. Robin notched an arrow in the bow and pulled it up to aim. The White Witch looked back and forth momentarily between Regina and Meredith before a wicked grin graced her features. "Ah, I see. You were trying to hide from your mother. Clearly, you did a wonderful job."

Meredith felt a deep frown form between her brows, and she curled her fingers into her palms, feeling the familiar warmth of flames engulf her fists. "Leave them out of this. This is between you and me, Jadis," Meredith said, a notable threat in her voice.

"Correction, child, this is between me and whoever attempts to stand in my way of taking over this realm!"

Meredith walked forward on instinct as her parents stopped next to Belle. She wouldn't let this crazy bitch hurt her family. Meredith looked back at her parents and let out a small smile. _I love you_, she mouthed, and then turned to face them and threw her hands up towards the sky. A dome of bright white magic burst from the sky and settled down, encompassing the White Witch and the girl destined to be her undoing. A strange silence pressed in on the two sorceresses, and the outraged cries of her parents and their friends alike was muffled through the magical shield Meredith had placed between them.

"Like I said, leave them out of this," Meredith said, beginning to match the circles Jadis was walking. They stalked and sized each other up like predator and prey.

"You think one shielding spell will stop me from murdering them?" She let out a manic laugh. Meredith took the opportunity to glance back at her family. Hook, Belle and the Charming's were banging against the invisible glass like guard she had thrown up in order to stop anyone from being hurt. Robin was aiming into the air, firing arrow after arrow in a pathetic attempt to break the barrier, while Emma, Regina and Gold were all arguing in a fit of fury between themselves.

"You think I'll let you live long enough to get near them? Now who's the foolish one."

Jadis snarled. Before Meredith knew what was happening, she was blasted backwards by a strong force of dark magic. Her back hit the shield with a thud, and the wind was completely knocked out of her. She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the ache in her lungs as they gasped for air, and the stunned cries of the people she had left on the other side of her barrier. There was no doubt in her mind anymore; Jadis was most definitely stronger now. Meredith gritted her teeth as she threw a large fireball through the air, accomplishing exactly what she wanted. Jadis was so distracted freezing the flames mid air that she missed Meredith throw her palms upright and shoot the White Witch backwards with as much force as she could. Jadis skidded across the icy road, letting out a cry of fury as she went. The second she was on her feet, the woman before her displayed an impressive show of skills, twirling and tossing both the septa and sword in her hands, not unlike a warrior highly skilled in martial arts.

Meredith used Jadis's arrogance to her advantage., and ran straight forwards. The witch lunged with the sword, but just as Meredith met the blade's tip, she threw her hands up and vanished in the blink of an eye. She made herself reappear so close behind Jadis that for a second, the Ice Queen seemed at a loss as to where she may have gone. Meredith reached up and yanked the Jadis's head down with a fist full of her hair. The witch shrieked, and Meredith reached her arm up and around; she smacked her straight in the mouth from behind, causing the White Witch to cry out in pain. The jostling of her attack made Meredith falter, though, and she desperately tried to keep hold of the grip she had on the Queen's throat. But this creature was tall. Too tall, and Meredith barely reached her mother's height, so what chance really did she have of being physically stronger than someone towering nearly two feet above her?

Jadis stood up, bringing Meredith with her before throwing the girl clean over her shoulder. When she hit the ground, it was head first, and for a second, all she saw was stars. Meredith felt blood dripping from her hairline, but stumbled back up to her feet, feeling queazy and lightheaded as she went. Jadis didn't give her time to recover before Meredith was blast backwards once more. Meredith gasped for air as her back hit the ground, feeling tears sting her eyes as her muscles throbbed. Jadis stalked over to her. Meredith made no effort to move from the ground, repeatedly blinking to try and not give in to the obvious injury on her head. The witch stood over the girl menacingly, throwing the septa over her shoulder, almost nonchalantly, and pressing the very tip of her thin sword into Meredith's neck.

She felt her chest heave, but wasn't yet ready to accept that this was it. She wasn't about to let this wretched bitch murder her and then her entire family, and so with one last surge of magic, Meredith vanished in a cloud of white smoke just as Jadis lunged her sword forward into her throat. The Ice Queen shouted in frustration as Meredith appeared, once more, behind her, except this time there was slightly more room between them, and when the witch shot her sword forward, Meredith gripped hold of its blade.

Sticky, hot, blood ran down from her palm, and she had to ignore the pain searing through her skin as she brought forth her magic, feeling its light pulse in the fingers that clutched the cool metal of the sword. Jadis let out a yelp in pain as Meredith's magic heated the entire weapon so hot the witch's skin steamed. The Ice Queen let out a hiss as Meredith pulled the sword from her hand and tossed it aside, out of Jadis's reach.

For a beat, all they did was stare each other down.

"You know, there's one thing I can say I've learned about your fate. You can't escape it," Meredith said. The earlier blow to her head finally beginning to take its toll, and as sticky, thick blood ran down her temple, she had to blink continuously to keep her focus.

Jadis, chest still heaving from the effect of physically fighting, had eyes like steel. Her mouth twisted into a sneer, and when she smiled, blood covered her once-white teeth from the first smack Meredith had thrown. "Oh how terribly amusing. It was my fate to die over a hundred years ago at the hands of a lion, and yet, here I am, stronger than ever. Perhaps it's time someone taught you a new lesson."

Meredith shook her head, feeling an inappropriate laugh escaped her throat. The White Witch looked startled for a split second, and then fixed her face in its disdained expression. "No, I don't think so. Prophecies have a way of fulfilling themselves no matter how hard you try to stop them." Her parents came to her mind as she spoke - namely her mother - of how she had tried to run from the man and his lion tattoo, of how she had been so scared to face what destiny had in store for her, and finally of how it had found her anyway, of how it had snuck up on Regina when she least expected. Meredith let her eyes flicker over the White Witch's shoulder and fall on her family. Emma, Rumple and Regina were all desperately trying to break her protection shield, their hands all raised, arms shaking with magic blasting in ora's from their palms. Killian and David were flanked either side of Robin, who was gripping Meredith bow in his hand. It was cast down, and he only had one arrow left, having used the others to attempt to break the barrier separating them all. He raised his arm once more, readying the bow and pulling his elbow back so the feathered arrow's end met his cheekbone.

That's when she saw it. His tattoo. His heritage and birthright scarring his skin, only visible now his jacket had been disheveled from notching the arrow to the bow. The crest sat proudly, showing the world that no matter how or why or when he had become an outlaw, he was and always would, at heart, be a Locksley. Her father had told her once that only those brave and true, loyal to the crown, were awarded with a mark such as his in the kingdom he had grown in. She swallowed thickly, forcing her brain to regain its focus and let her gaze flit back and forth between the Ice Queen and her father, desperately trying to get his attention while keeping Jadis's back firmly toward them.

"Foolish girl, I outran my destiny eons ago. Unless of course you've managed to portal jump that wretched _lion, _Aslan, from Narnia to here, you're most certainly out of options as to how you shall defeat me!" Meredith could almost physically feel the rage Jadis was emitting. It would have, and should have, frightened her. But it no longer mattered. Finally, her eyes had managed to catch her father's, blue on blue, a mirror of each other's. Meredith raised her fingers cautiously, trying not to startle the witch before her any further, but it was all the movement her father needed to understand. He repositioned his arrow, and instead of aiming to upwards to the sky - as he had been when trying to break her shield - he now dropped his arm straight forward. Meredith moved her blue eyes back to Jadis and grinned.

"Yeah ... I guess you're right. But ... who said Narnia's the only place you can find a lion?"

As she spoke the words, numerous things happened at once. Meredith raised both hands, twisting her wrists as Jadis's face fell. The light her shield was emitting dulled in an instant, then fell to the floor as fast as it had been raised. Robin let go of his arrow. Meredith watched it fly through the air as though it was happening in slow motion. It pierced Jadis's back with such a force that it shot straight through her chest and out the other side. Straight though her heart, just as Robin had intended. Meredith held her breath as the White Witch let her eyes fall slowly onto the bloody arrow now sticking out awkwardly above her left breast, the beautiful jewel encrusted bodice she wore now doused in a deep shade of crimson. A sob of anger and pain and outrage fell from the witches mouth, and when she looked back up to meet Meredith's eyes, tears fell from her own. She was shaking, but Meredith couldn't tell whether it was from sheer fury that she had been beaten or whether it was just her body's way of finally giving up. Jadis tumbled forward towards her, but she wasn't fast enough to step back out of her reach, and the witch grasped hold of her shoulder. To an outsider, they could have been embracing. As her knees buckled, she finally fell to the ground, dead.

Meredith's head felt light as she stared down at Jadis's crumpled, bloody body at her feet, and it was only when Regina let out a blood curdling scream did she move her attention back up to the others. Her mother was racing towards her, and for a second, Meredith didn't know why.

And then she felt it.

Her mind became more aware of sheer agony ripping through her body, and Meredith let her head fall downward slowly, only for her eyes to be met with Jadis's septa buried deep just beneath her sternum. She gasped for air, then fell backwards in one fell swoop.

* * *

Regina caught her just before she hit the floor.

She shook Meredith shoulders, letting her knees sink and breaking Meredith's fall to the ground. Panic and shock coursed through her veins as Robin and the others caught up. Emma kicked Jadis's body, double checking the Ice Queen was in fact dead, before she and Hook shoved her corpse out of the way. Robin fell to his knees next to Regina, and gently pulled their daughter from her arms to rest her back against his chest.

He grimaced at the wound. Jadis had plunged the septa into Meredith's body so deep the handle was barely visible. Magic sparked and swirled from the wand, making her skin glow. Meredith was barely conscious, eyes glazing over every few seconds before coming back to focus. Robin looked over at Regina.

"Can you get it out?" He asked desperately, though he wasn't sure why. Of course she could get it out. He'd seen her heal wounds hundreds of times in the year he's known her. This would be absolutely no different.

He ignored the niggle in the pit of his stomach that told him this time would be different.

Regina wiped her cheeks, wet from tears, with the back of her hand and moved to pull the wand from inside her daughter's body, but the magic within its power burned her skin so badly it blistered in an instant. She hissed, and the repeated the action.

Emma sank to her knees, copying Regina in her attempt to remove the lodged weapon in Meredith's sternum, but it was no use. The magic it was emitting simply refused to let anyone get near it.

Every inch of Regina's body shook as she looked down at her daughter lying in Robin's arms. Every few seconds, Meredith's eyes would turn glassy, and when she could manage to focus on her surroundings, she looked confused, as though she couldn't quite place where she was or what was happening. Regina reached her arm across Meredith's chest to stroke her cheek, pulling the few stray strands of hair sticking to the sweat and blood on her beautiful face and attempting to ease her trembling fingers as they moved.

Rumple knelt down besides Emma. They talked for a few seconds, Regina didn't listen. It was yells and demands and panicked tones, and the next thing she knew, the pair were aiming their palms towards the septa, attempting to stop magic with magic. She looked down into her child's blue eyes.

"It's okay, you're okay," she said, trying to convince herself more than her daughter.

Meredith's breath hitched, each gasp for air sounded laboured and crackly as her lungs filled with blood. "Mama, it hurts."

Regina shook her head, rocking her body forward slightly as Robin's grip around Meredith's shoulders got tighter. "You're going to be fine."

"I don't-"

"Stop it! It's fine, do you hear me? We're going to get it out. Everything will be _fine_."

"Regina," Emma said, a desperate sorrow in her voice. The Queen looked up to meet the saviors eyes. She whipped her hands away from cradling her child's face in an instant, knowing the blonde before her wasn't strong enough to heal the wound. But Regina wasn't having any of it, she didn't care if she burnt every ounce of skin she had off her bones, she refused to let her child suffer. She took a deep breath in, and the brightest magic Regina had ever seen blasted from the palms of her hands. The Queen focussed all of her energy on the septa, her body physically shaking as Rumple and Emma matched her actions, all three desperately trying to pry the wand from Meredith's skin. Blood leaked out of the girl's chest continuously now, and Regina let out a sob of frustration as her head began to pound from the force of using so much magic. She gritted her teeth as the magic animating from the septa seared her skin, then let out a yell of pain and despair alike.

"Guys?" She was vaguely aware of Snow White's voice saying something behind her. It was only when the Princess yelled did Regina stop and whirl round, furious with the brunette for breaking her focus.

"WHAT?!" She yelled, her voice hoarse. Honestly, why on earth had she not murdered this woman when she had the chance?

"LOOK!" Mary Margaret yelled back, pointing behind the Queen, tears pouring from her face. Regina snapped her head round. If the blood hadn't already drained from her face, it surely had now. An avalanche of clouded, pink magic was blanketing the town, bleeding through the streets, fast and unforgiving. It was rushing down Main Street like a wave as it broke against the shore.

The curse. Regina felt her heart stop. They needed to heal Meredith right now or they were about to forget who she was.

She looked to Gold desperately, feeling confused as he stood up, looking defeated. Emma let her hands fall onto her lap, as she followed Regina's gaze.

"You have to heal her," she said, voice thick from the painful lump refusing to leave her throat.

"I can't," he replied sadly. Belle was standing behind him now, clinging onto Mary Margaret.

"You _have_ to! She's going to die, please, Rumple! There has to be something you can do!"

"There isn't! The wand is recognizing we're not Jadis, Regina. We can't touch it. I'm sorry. I truly, truly am."

"Please, I'm begging you, _please_?!"

"Mom?"

Meredith's voice was but a whisper, and made Regina stop her pleas to Gold and meet her daughter's gaze. Robin's chest was hitching with his silent sobs as he rested his chin on Meredith's head. Regina moved closer to them, wrapping her arms around the girls stomach, careful not to irritate the the ugly wound still bleeding profusely. Robin moved the hand not holding Meredith upright to grasp her own, and the three stayed huddled together on the ground, lost in their own world.

"I think - I finally - know," Meredith said through slow, rasping breaths, "why - I was - sent here."

Regina frowned down at her thumbing the wetness leaking from her blue eyes, her own chest heaving through hopeless sobs. "You were sent her to defeat Jadis, baby."

Meredith used what little energy she had left to shake her head and make her muscles pull her mouth into a small smile. "No ... I was ... I was sent here to see you."

"What?" She breathed, never once breaking her gaze from Meredith's.

"I've spent my entire ... life ... denying how much ... I'm like you," she breathed out a chuckle and moved her shaky hands to cup Regina's face. Her fingers were like ice, pale and stiff from lose of blood. "I don't want to deny it anymore. I've never-" she swallowed and took another gasp for air, clearly determined to finish the sentence she has started. "I've never been more proud to be just like you then I am-m r-right n-n-now."

Meredith coughed as she finished talking, and a splutter of blood burst from her lips. Regina let out a strangled cry and shook her head vigorously before finally finding her voice. Tears clouded her eyes and spilled from the rims as she moved her hands to meet Meredith's, still clutching her face.

"Please ... please don't leave us," she cried to her daughter.

"It's okay," Meredith said, a strange expression of acceptance falling on her features.

"I've only just found you-" Regina whispered, following her words with a fresh wave of sobs she desperately tried to hold back.

"I'm not afraid. Y-you shouldn't - be either. I'll be - with you. Always."

She couldn't form any more words, the pain her throat and head was just too much. A wail escaped her throat as Meredith eyes fluttered shut, her head lulled to the side and her rasping lungs eased into silence.

Agony like Regina had never felt before overwhelmed her, and she sobbed in utter despair letting her forehead fall onto her child's motionless body. Robin was shaking, tears falling from his eyes in hot streaks. Regina sat back up and sniffed, gulping for air as her body tried to fight the emotions coursing though her veins. She looked into Robin's eyes and her heart broke. It broke once, then again and again. It shattered into a thousand pieces. This must be what it feels like to have your heart squeezed to dust, only the sweet release of death wasn't waiting for her like it would be if that were really the case. Robin's head fell forwards as Regina's did, and both leaned in together, pressing their lips to their child's head at exactly the same time.

Magic burst from their action. It was sudden and unexpected; so bright Regina had to lean back and scrunch her eyes shut so she wouldn't be blinded. The light filled the street, enveloped them all, and for a split second, a glimmer of hope filled her chest. True love's kiss. The love of both parents, of soulmates, surely that would be enough to heal Meredith? To bring her back to them?

But when Regina opened her eyes, a new waves of agony drowned her. Meredith's body was gone. Robin clawed at the floor, shouting over and over. _Where is she? No, no, no. Come back to us. _But it was hopeless, and Regina knew it. Her lifeless body, she believed, would have travelled back to the future, with her destiny fulfilled. The fates wouldn't care that her daughter was now dead. All they would care about was their story being told as they wished it. Anger rippled through her body. She would never let them get away with this.

Regina stood with shaky legs, but with a new purpose. She rounded on Gold, who was clutching a sobbing Belle to his chest.

"Stop this curse." She ordered.

"Regina, I-"

"Stop it. Right now. I have to remember her. I have to stop this from happening," she said, fury making her muscles tighten and limbs shake.

Gold shook his head. "I won't stop it. Everything has to happen as it has or you're going to change something and it could be catastrophic."

_"__It already IS catastrophic! My daughter is DEAD!"_

Grief reared its ugly head in the form of a physical ache. It rose from her heart and clawed up her throat as she finally said the words out loud. Her jaw locked, staying dropped as fresh tears spilled from her eyes, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything else. She only felt herself breathe once more when Robin's arm wrapped around her middle from behind, holding her upright.

"Please, you have to stop it. I'm begging you," Robin said to Gold. "As one father to another. Please stop it."

Gold shook his head. The curse got closer and closer, and Regina could feel herself begin to hyperventilate. They couldn't forget. Why on earth had she cursed them all again? Exactly on what planet made her think that would be a good idea? Once again, she had become her own worst enemy, and in trying to cling on to a life she so desperately desired, she had actually ruined everything. She turned in Robin's arms and clutched the lapels of his jacket, looking deep into his eyes, and seeing her own grief etched onto his features.

"We can't forget her, Robin!" She sobbed.

"Can you stop it?" He asked, already knowing the answer. If she could stop it, she would have already.

She shook her head, and his heart broke at the despair in her eyes. "I can't stop it. He's the one who created it."

Regina let her head fall forward and buried her face into Robin's chest. She cried her heart out, gasping for air that wouldn't come, and all he could do to ease it was hold her. For the first time in his life, utter hopelessness fell on him. He could do nothing. His child was dead, his soulmate was crushed, and his heart was broken. Robin tensed his arms around Regina, feeling comfort in her closeness, and closed his eyes as the cloud of the bright pink magic of the curse washed over them, taking their memories, and any hope they had of saving their child.

* * *

Regina blinked as she pulled back from Robin's embrace. He looked down at her and smiled, clearly nothing but proud, of her, of himself.

They had taken down the Ice Queen together.

She reached up and kissed him, chastely at first, before letting it deepen when his arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her from the floor. She laughed into his kiss as he spun them round.

"I love you," she breathed as he set her feet back down to the ground.

"As I love you."

"You know ... you two are getting just as mushy as my parents," Emma said, cocking an eyebrow as she knelt down to check Jadis's body, and pointedly ignoring the protests sounding from the Charming's. "Nice shot." She said, looking back at Robin.

Regina reached down and pushed his jacket sleeve back, stroking the pad of her thumb across his tattoo. "I guess she really was fated to be killed by a lion. Just ... one of Locksley. Not Narnia." She smiled up at him.

He sighed contently. "Can we get the boys and go home now, please?"

"I can think of nothing I'd love more."

Robin took her hand in his before heading back into the diner to get their children. Finally, now that witch was gone, they could begin to live their happily ever after.

* * *

**A/N: And back to the future we go in the next chapter.**

**Remember folks, no matter how dark the night, the sun will always rise!**


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

_A bright light blinded the group, and the last thing Regina felt was Robin's arms around her as everything went black. _

When she came to, she was on the floor. Robin had broken her fall, and she groaned at the pounding in her head as she rolled off him. But she couldn't get to her feet. That light, whatever it was, had brought with it a rush of memories Regina didn't even know she had. Memories of a completely different beginning to hers and Robin's relationship, memories of a completely different end to Marian's life, memories of a young girl with wild red hair who possessed powerful magic and stole her families possessions. Regina was sitting on her ankles, holding her stomach as she recalled almost squeezing the heart of this girl to dust, followed by the revelation that this girl was in fact, her daughter.

She squeezed her eyes shut as an emotional agony gripped her chest like an iron vice, and tried to gasp for air. She could remember Meredith's magic getting the better of her, remember that ghastly White Witch taunting them all in Main Street, turning Rumple to stone. It played out like a quick fire story in her mind. One event after the other, tumbling forward to the forefront of her brain until the memories were so overwhelming she could no longer breathe.

She knew the others were stirring around her. Robin's hands were now gripping her biceps so hard it could have bruised, while the memories came flooding back to him too. Regina clasped a hand over her mouth, stifling a sob as she remembered the curse. She had cursed everyone to forget her child so they could have the life she'd told them of, so Meredith could rest easy that nothing in the timeline would have changed. Regina could see it, clear as day, standing over the frozen well and dropping the curse into its deep pit. There had been a niggle then, an uneasy feeling that perhaps it wasn't the right thing to do. But as the pink cloud began to rise up from the blackness of this hole in the ground she knew there was no going back, and had disappeared with Robin in a puff of purple smoke to meet the others in the town.

The rest of the events played out in a blur. Jadis, Meredith, her protection shield and the group trying with no hope of breaking it. Robin finally killing the witch ... everything that happened made her shake until she was left with the image of her daughter, lying in her arms whispering words of acceptance and gratitude. Regina felt hot tears spill continuously down her cheeks while she recalled Meredith coughing up blood and letting her head lull against Robin's chest. She could remember desperately trying to save her, to heal her with Emma while Gold stood and did nothing. She could remember begging her child not to leave her, to stay strong and promising she would fix it. But she hadn't fixed anything, and the last image that Regina paid attention to was her beautiful daughter, dying in her parents arms.

Robin let out a shuddered sob from behind her, and she knew he could remember it too. Her curse had finally been broken, by what, she couldn't be sure of, and now all she was left with was a gaping hole in her heart, a hollow abyss that threatened to suck her back into darkness and despair.

"Oh my god," Mary Margaret whispered. "Regina ..."

The Queen met her step daughters eyes for a nanosecond before the dam that was holding her emotions together burst. She was dead. Her child, the baby girl she had grown and nurtured from scratch in her womb was gone and never coming back. A wail of despair escaped her throat as she leaned forward and held her head in her hands, letting sobs wrack her body so hard her muscles began to ache. Robin's arms had left her, and she was vaguely aware of her husband leaning back against a dining chair as he cried as openly as she did.

The others didn't know what to do, whether to move or speak or cry. Mary Margaret was the first to move towards her step mother. She knelt down to Regina on the floor, her heart breaking at the loss of the little girl her son loved so much. Tears escaped her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around the Queen, rocking her back and forth in a pathetic attempt to soothe her. Little John and David had collapsed in chairs, staring in utter disbelief that their minds were now allowing them to remember the real events of what happened when the Ice Queen arrived in Storybrooke. Tinkerbell hurried down the stairs and burst into the room, clearly needing to see if everyone else had experienced the same phenomenon she had. The fairy was speechless as she knelt down to Robin and placed a gentle hand on his forearm. Gold and Belle appeared in the room in a cloud of purple smoke. Belle looked just as heartbroken as the others, while Gold was peering down at Regina with nothing but empathy in his eyes.

Regina looked up and met the Imp's gaze, feeling her own eyes turn hard. She staggered to her feet, using Mary Margaret as an anchor because she feared her legs wouldn't hold her up right. She wiped the stinging skin of her wet cheeks with the back of her hand and moved towards her old mentor.

"You can bring her back," she said, her voice wobbling.

"No," he said simply, as though it was the very thing he expected her to say.

"You can! There's no way you don't know how to bring the dead back, you have to!"

"Do you really think if I knew how to do that, I would have let my son die!? I can't do what you want. I'm sorry."

A wave of fresh sobs overtook Regina's body and she pushed Gold back with both hands. "Why wouldn't you save her?! I begged you to stop the curse, and you wouldn't!"

"I couldn't stop it, Regina! And I couldn't save her! Jadis made sure of that!"

She took a deep breath and slapped Gold straight across the face. The sound of her palm meeting his face resonated throughout the room. No one in the room spoke, all too afraid of the next move either of them would make. Robin was now standing on his feet; he had forced himself to swallow the grief that was brewing just beneath the surface of his skin, crawling through his veins and ripping apart his heart. He had no choice, he had to be strong for his wife. He moved to stand behind her, silently wrapping his arms around her middle, holding her arms down by her sides and tensed his muscles, stopping her from hitting Gold again. Regina felt her knees buckle slightly, and she turned in her husbands arms, burying her face in his chest and sobbing so much she struggled to catch her breath. Robin held the back of her head, letting tears fall from his eyes but never once giving in to the despair that was hammering his heart. His eyes were fixed on Gold, who stood back, watching his former student in sorrow as she wept.

"She ... she's ..." Regina choked out, leaning back and staring up into Robin's eyes. His heart broke all over again. Regina looked utterly broken. She clutched the shirt material at his chest in her tiny fists. A wail of anguish fell from her mouth once more, and she let her head fall on his chest. Robin felt his lip tremble. She was right, their little girl was dead. He could remember it now as though it was yesterday. The temptation to give into the grief was nearly overpowering. He wanted nothing more than to curl up with Regina and sob until his eyes could no longer produce tears, until the aching in his heart stopped, until his daughter was back in his arms where she belonged.

But he wasn't allowed to fall apart, not yet, and with that in mind, he closed his eyes tightly, letting the last of his tears fall before taking a deep breath, and scooping Regina up in his arms, hooking one arm under her knees and supporting her waist with the other. She cried into the crook of his neck, shoulders shaking and limbs trembling with the anguish of it all, and Robin let his head fall against his wife's as he moved without word past their friends in the dining room and into the reading room.

"Papa?" His sons call from the stairs made him pause in the hall. Harrison was standing, looking smaller than Robin had seen him in years, half way up the stairs, looking at his mother, broken in his father's arms. He cleared his throat, meeting his little boys eyes; eyes every bit as big and dark and emotional as Regina's.

"Go back up to your room. I'll be up soon, my boy."

"Is mom okay?" He asked, though clearly understanding she wasn't.

Tinkerbell chose that moment to re-emerge from the dining room, take a deep breath and force a warm smile on her face. She shot Robin a glance, and he didn't miss the deep concern shining through her eyes before she hurried up the stairs to usher Harrison back up to his bedroom.

When he entered the reading room, he shut the door behind him with his foot. They needed a moment, needed to not face anybody else while the gravity of what had happened sunk in. Robin lowered himself down onto the comfy brown leather sofa that sat next to the book shelves, never once letting Regina out of his arms, and pulled her impossibly close on his lap, and held her like he would never let go.

* * *

_:( where are yooou? Thought you were working tonight? xx_

Roland Locksley's phone pinged, and he looked down at the cell in surprise. He had been so lost in his own world, he had completely forgotten he was holding it. Airport waiting lounges were honestly the most boring places known to man, he decided, and had he realised just how tedious this wait would be, he would have point blank refused his father's request to pick his brother up. Henry was a big boy, he could have gotten a cab for all Roland cared. He rubbed his tired eyes, blinking them back awake before sighing at the text he had just received. Alex had promised to come and see him at work tonight, and as they were trying to figure their relationship out, he had really wanted to be there.

He really would kill Meredith for running off.

_Sorry gorgeous, had to come to pick Henry up. Will make it up to you ;) xx. _He replied, before twirling the device round in his fingers, and leaning forward to rest his elbow on his thighs. His phone pinged again less than a minute later.

_Thought your dad was fetching him? Can't believe you drove to Boston without me! This 'making up' better be good! xx_

A smirk spread across his face, causing his trademark dimples to deepen. _Long story - Mer's done a runner. I'm pretty sure if I'd have had you in the car on the way we'd have crashed - you're too distracting, remember? ;) Duly noted, I'll be sure to think of something you'll enjoy xxx_

_Oh, really? Hope she's okay. HA! Boston has better shops than here - I enjoy SHOES! xxx_

The reply came almost instantly, and he cocked an eyebrow. _You have too many shoes. And I'm sure she's okay at the mo, how she'll be when my mom gets her hands on her later is another story haha xxx_

_GULP! That doesn't sound good haha. And seriously, when can a girl ever have too many shoes?! xxx_

_Tell me about it! Can I stay at yours tonight? My house may blow up again ;) xxx_

_You're one of the Merry Men, Ro, if your house goes up there's plenty of space in the woods for you to camp. I hear you're quite adept at that ;P xxx_

_And yet, your bed seems far more inviting than the trees. :D xxx_

Texts were exchanged back and forth, their banter never dying. Roland only put his phone away when Alex declared she was being forced into karaoke by the girls, and he had to let out a laugh - only his girlfriend would start hammering back shots so early on a Friday. He looked round the airport. It was now just after 6PM, and the hustle bustle outside the check-in was every bit as manic as it should be for a Friday evening. He felt a sulking mood fall on him. He wanted to be at work drinking behind the bar owner's back and watching his girlfriend make a fool of herself while drunk on stage. He loved his brother, god only knew, and he was looking forward to seeing him again - not to mention meeting Giselle - but the drive to Boston was long and tedious, and if he was really honest, he hated leaving Storybrooke.

"Roland!" His name was called by a deep voice, and the mood he was in disappeared in an instant as he stood with an easy grin. Henry was walking towards him, dragging a heavy suitcase behind him and a large duffle over his shoulder, hand in hand with a pretty redhead that was no doubt, Giselle.

Their exchanges were formal to begin with, the shake of a hand and the nod of a head with a warm smile. It lasted all of five seconds before they laughed and Roland pulled his big brother into a fierce embrace.

"How you been, man?" He asked, giving Henry a final squeeze before pulling back.

"I'm fine. Ro, this is Giselle ... Gi, this is my brother Roland," Henry said, smiling through his introductions.

The woman before him looked like she was about to burst with excitement. She was pretty and small, possibly around his mother's height, and had long red hair that flowed in soft waves down her back. She shot her hand out in front of her in an effort to break the ice, and Roland didn't miss the shining diamond on her ring finger. He ignored her hand and pulled her into a cuddle, kissing her cheek as she squealed.

"None of that formal bullshit. If you're gonna be my sister then you're gonna get hugs."

Giselle giggled and breathed an _okay_ as he pulled away, taking the duffle off of Henry's shoulder and leading them back to his truck - or rather, his dads 4x4, because how on earth could he afford one on his wage? "It's so nice to finally meet you ... Henry's told me so much about all his family, I feel like I know you all already."

He grinned, eyeing his brother with curious sarcasm. "Did he now? Well if that's not true love I don't know what is. Not many people could get their head around our family tree and stick around to meet us all." Henry smiled and rolled his eyes as he laced his fingers through his love's and pressed a kiss into her hair, ignoring Roland's teasing. "Anyways," Roland continued, reaching over for Giselle's free hand and lifting it to get a better look at her engagement ring, "I see a congratulations is in order!"

"Thanks, man. How's life?" Henry asked.

They made small talk and caught up as they made their way through the parking lot. Roland found out that Giselle had previously been betrothed to a prince named Edward in her realm, but her step-mother (the Queen) had been less than inclined to give up her throne, and had cursed Giselle to this world as punishment for 'attempting to overthrow the crown'. Roland bit the inside of his cheek with amusement, and wondered for a second just how much Henry had told her about their mother.

"So ... as much as I'm happy to see you, where's Robin? I thought he was picking us up?" Henry asked when they'd finally got back to the truck and began the long journey back to Storybrooke.

Roland rolled his eyes. "He was. I was supposed to be working a double shift today so I could have tomorrow night off for the fundraiser, but Meredith ran off this afternoon and no one's seen her since. Dad went to search the woods for her."

"What? Why did she run off?" Henry asked, nothing but concern in his voice. He had always been the more tolerant one when it came to their little sister.

"Errrm ..." Roland started. He knew he should feel very awkward with his answer, but his amusement for the whole situation was too much. He really was about to have fun with this. "Well ... Harrison got sick at school, and when mom brought him home she kind of caught Meredith ..."

"She skipped school again?"

"Yeah ... but that's not the only thing mom caught her doing ... apparently your uncle has been seducing our little sister during their afternoons outside the school gates." Roland flitted his eyes from the road for a second, unable to resist the temptation of seeing his brother's reaction. Henry didn't disappoint. His face paled and his expression grimaced as he scrunched up his eyes and groaned.

"Please tell me you're just being an asshole by telling me that?"

Roland barked out a laugh. "Sorry brother ... you picked a _banner_ weekend to come home! Seriously though, you need to speak to Neal, otherwise my fist might meet his face. Meredith may be a giant pain in my ass, but she's my baby sister, and I don't like the idea of anyone-"

"Alright, Ro, I get the picture. I'll have a word."

The rest of the journey - much to Roland's surprise - went by in a flash. He liked Giselle; she was funny and optimistic, and he was very much anticipating his mother swallowing her irritation for overly preppy, high-pitched enthusiasm upon their meeting. Henry told him all of New Orleans, of how a Prince named Naveen had fallen prey to a witch doctor in their realm, and in their battle had fallen through a portal to this world. Giselle jumped in the story, telling him how a young waitress - Tiana, she called her - fell madly in love with the Prince and how the witch doctor, furious at the prospect of this Prince getting his happy ending, had transformed them into frogs. Roland laughed at the thought; it had been so long since he'd seen the Enchanted Forest, if he was honest, he could barely remember its tall trees and magnificent castles (except the courtyard of his mother's palace, which he could vaguely recall spending time in as a child). The idea of genuine princes and princesses with frogs and portals seemed almost foreign to him now. When he asked Henry how he got them back to their realm, his brother merely smiled and replied with a nonchalant, _how I always do_, and Roland couldn't help but roll his eyes. He knew that Henry had a way of traveling between realms with ease, but it was a secret his brother had always refused point blank to speak of, dare the information get into the wrong hands.

Roland asked Giselle, who was sitting forward in the backseat, as though she wanted to be as involved in their conversation as possible, if she was nervous about meeting the rest of the family, to which she replied yes, somewhat, but that she was mostly excited. The girl gnawed her lip a little when speaking of her slight apprehension of meeting "the Ev-the Queen", she corrected with a nervous glance at her fiancé. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he didn't say anything as Henry reassured her. He realised that the tales of his mother's reign would still be unequalled throughout the realms, but he would let Giselle see for herself just how tall they were, and though he knew it would settle her nerves, he didn't tell her that he could tell his mom was actually just as terrified about meeting Giselle and she was.

Henry enquired more about Storybrooke, about what had happened in the months he'd been away. Roland shrugged and told him, _not much_; Harrison still hated school, Meredith and their mom were driving him up the wall, dad was tired of trying to keep the peace, Alex had agreed to give their relationship another go, mom was tearing her hair out about the fundraiser tomorrow night. All the details Roland found mundane fell into their conversation with ease, and by the time he could make out the old, familiar **'You are now entering Storybrooke'** sign, they had caught up on nearly everything they needed to. It was just turning 9:30PM as they approached the town line.

"Do you have any idea what time my mom will be back with Killian?" Henry asked.

"Dad said they should have been docking around 9, so I think we'll get to town just as they do. I'm under strict instructions from mom to bring you straight home though, sorry," he laughed, remembering his mother's rambling texts just after he'd left to fetch Henry. _Sorry you've had to go and pick him up, I will be sure you deal with your sister appropriately. _And, _Please bring him home before he does anything, I can't wait to have you all under one roof again!_ And, _Make sure you text what Giselle is like!_ And finally a quick, _THANK YOU! Love you, drive safe xxx _

He had text his mother just before they started back, a quick report that he'd arrived just fine, Henry and Giselle had landed safely, (she was lovely), and that they'd be back in a few hours, but he had yet to receive any replies. He put the lack of communication down to the fact they were probably laying into Meredith for running off. Either that or his mom was stressing herself out with last minute preparations for tomorrow's fundraiser.

The second the wheels of the car crossed the town line, a light blinded all three of them. Roland slammed on the breaks as fast as he could, but as the wheels screeched to a stop, Giselle screamed as the car smashed into a tree off the roadside, and the light disappeared. A strange sensation fell over him. His mind was changing. Images were flashing through his memories, images he didn't recognise but made him highly confused.

Roland blinked, trying to ignore the deep ache in his neck as he stared at the smoke seeping from the engine through a cracked windscreen. His dad was going to kill him. "Is everyone okay?" He asked, breathlessly, relief flooding him when he heard Giselle breathe out a_ yes_, before turning to Henry. "What the hell was that?"

His brother was sitting face forward, utterly shell shocked as to what had happened. When he turned to meet Roland's eyes, horror befell him.

"Will the truck start? We have to get home. Now."

* * *

She wasn't sure when he moved her.

Regina had been too busy falling deeper into despair to recognise her surroundings shifting from the dining room to the reading room, too busy grieving to feel Robin sit down and pull her closer as she wept, too busy realising that one of the last things she had said to her daughter was that she couldn't deal with her anymore. She sobbed into Robin's shoulder until her body was exhausted and her eyes could no longer produce tears. But the ache in her chest wouldn't subside, and after a while, Regina could no longer take it. She sat up, ignoring her husband's questions of what was she doing, and plunged her hand into her chest with a yelp of pain. The second her heart left its home, she gasped for air and collapsed back into Robin's embrace. It had been eighteen years since she'd last laid eyes on the beating organ she was now lazily holding. It was redder than she remembered, the blackness only really covering its out edges now, but the very center was brighter than she had ever seen it. Regina waited for Robin to yell at her, tell her to put it back, but his words never came. His grip didn't loosen even after her cries subsided, and for a long while, they sat, breathing each other in while the events of the past afternoon sank in.

"We have to find her body," she eventually said in a whisper, staring straight ahead while her head rested itself in the crook of his neck. His body tensed beneath hers, just for a second before he sighed heavily.

"We will," he replied, a slight croak in his voice. He looked down at his wife; her face held an almost hollow expression, and his line of sight moved to her beautiful heart, glowing in her lap. He hadn't bothered telling her to put it back inside her chest; the truth was, he envied her ability to take it out and breathe a little easier.

A soft knock on the door pulled them from their moment. Emma and Killian walked in without invitation, looks of sorrow plastered on their faces. Regina didn't know when they'd arrived; she didn't care either. All she cared about in that second was that her lungs were contracting a little less painfully then they had been when her heart was in its rightful place. She didn't miss Emma's glance down to the organ, but the blonde knew better than to say anything about it. The pair sat down at the little table they had so long ago tried to contact her mother at, and Emma leaned forward, shaking her head with no possible words of comfort to offer.

"I'm ... I'm so sorry," she said eventually.

Silence fell on the four. Regina stared into space, thinking of nothing but the original memories that had just been returned to her. Her daughter had died to save the entire town. She had_ died_ in her arms. She had drawn her very last breath forcing out words in a hope to comfort Regina. Suddenly, the idea that a child of hers would actually be selfless enough to comfort someone else in their moment of death seemed laughable.

But her child was dead, and she would never laugh again.

A deep frown formed on her face. Meredith was dead.

And then suddenly she was up, out of Robin's arms and hurrying into the hall way. Robin scrambled after her, holding the heart she had thrust so carelessly into his grasp. Everyone was still sitting around the dining table when they re-emerged into the hall. David and Mary Margaret were now flanking Neal, who looked as though he had been openly sobbing since they had called him to come back to the house. Tinkerbell was nowhere to be seen, and Robin made a mental note to go see to Harrison just as soon as he knew Regina was okay. He mentally snorted at his own stupidity. She would never be okay again.

"Regina? What are you-" Mary Margaret started, joining the confused looks on each face as Regina pulled on her coat and moved to shove a foot into her boots.

"I'm going to my vault. This just isn't right," Regina said, looking up at Robin with absolute denial on her face. She shook her head and took a deep breath. "I'm not letting her be dead anymore. There _has_ to be something I can do."

Gold pushed forward into the hall. "There isn't anything you can do, Regina. And I can assure you, taking that," he pointed to her heart in Robin's hand, "out won't do you any good. It will just make the pain worse when you put it back."

Regina glared at Rumple. "I'm getting my daughter back."

"You can't raise the dead, it's against the laws of magic!"

"Time travel was supposed to be against the laws of magic! If that can be done, then I can bring Meredith back! I know I can!"

Robin watched on as Regina and Gold argued back and forth. He knew it was wrong deep down, he knew it wouldn't be possible, that the price for truly raising the dead would be one so great he couldn't even fathom it. But even the slight possibility of seeing his baby girl one more time was something even Robin found intriguing. What if she could bring her back?

Gold snorted. "What are you going to do then, Regina? Hm? Kill someone? A life for a life, and all that? But what if it's more complicated than that? Are you going to do what Zelena did, and ruin people's lives in order to get what you want? I may not have much of a moral compass, but I'm not stupid enough not to know that Meredith wouldn't want you to do anything like that."

Regina gritted her teeth, and even though her heart was sitting in her husband's hands, the pain of grief washed over her once more. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as her jaw clenched and rage coursed through her veins. "I will damn this entire world to _hell_ if it means I'll get my child back."

The venom in her words made Robin snap from his madness. He couldn't let her do anything to bring Meredith back to them, and he used the shocked pause that resonated through the house to walk to her and stand directly in front of his wife.

"Please put your heart back," he instructed, and to his surprise, she didn't protest. The glowing organ was pushed back in with a groan as Regina's head fell forward slightly. More tears fell from her eyes when her heart was safely back in its chest, and for a second, she looked at Robin with a glimmer of hope.

"I can do it, I can bring her back," she whispered, her face so close to his Robin could feel her breath on his lips. He brought his hands up to caress her face and shook his head sadly.

"No, my love, you can't."

A sob escaped her mouth. "She ... she can't just be _gone_."

"She is."

Regina collapsed in his arms, and Robin scooped her up once more, this time choosing to take her upstairs to bed. Sobs continued to wrack her body as she buried her face into the pillow of their bed, and Robin perched on its edge, stroking her hair as she cried. Regina closed her eyes after a few minutes, and exhaustion overtook her; she was asleep not too long after. Robin was grateful that she could finally let the dreamworld take her away from the pain, and kissed her forehead before turning off the lamp on their bedside table and pulling to door too.

When he entered his little boys bedroom, Tinkerbell was sitting on his bed, stroking his hair in silence. Robin gave her a small smile that he had to force on his face, and the fairy untangled her arms from Harrison's and meets Robin by the door.

"Is she okay?" She asked, eyes shining with tears.

"She's asleep. Did you tell him-"

"No, I thought maybe you'd better. I can stay if you want me to though?" She said in a hushed voice. Robin shook his head sadly, and Tink left them in peace.

Harrison looked worried as he sat on his bed. His and Regina's youngest child, though looked a lot like Robin, was very much like Roland had been. He was small for his age - Roland hadn't shot to his height until he was almost seventeen. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and no matter how many times he would whine to Henry and Roland that he was brave like they were, Robin had lost count of the times he would find Harrison curled up next to Regina in bed while she soothed him after a nightmare of some sort.

"Dad ... what's happening?" Harrison asked, eyes full of concern. "Why was mom crying?"

Robin swallowed the thick lump that threatened to climb higher up his throat, and gripped hold of his sons hands, looking him square in the eyes.

"Harrison," he started, but never got to finish his sentence.

Chaos from downstairs made itself known throughout the house. Robin sighed; he needed peace and quiet for just a few minutes to tell his son that his sister was dead. Anger suddenly coursed through him; did the guests in his house have no respect whatsoever? Harrison followed him out of the room, still clad in his Transformers pajama's and odd socks as they made their way downstairs. Robin stopped in his tracks when he reached the bay window that overlooked the hall. Roland, Henry, and a girl he presumed was Giselle had finally made it home, and had come crashing through the front door demanding questions be answered. It was bedlam. Henry was locked in an argument with Emma and Gold. Mary Margaret and David were trying to stop Neal from getting in Roland's face, who was being held back by Little John. Harrison slipped his hand through Robin's and gnawed at his lip from beside his father on the stairs, and Tinkerbell was holding her head in her hands while Belle rubbed her back, and Killian was staring at the group, seemingly just as stumped as to where the argument had come from as Robin was.

"ENOUGH!" Robin yelled, causing the room to silence in an instant. No one seemed to have realised he was standing, watching them all. He continued down the stairs as Henry and Roland pushed their way through the bodies that crowded the hall to meet him at the bottom. Robin frowned at the deep gash that was bleeding down Roland's forehead.

"Is it true?" Roland asked, his eyes full of emotion and his voice thick. "Henry said that Mere ... that she ..."

Robin felt his shoulders sag even further to the floor. His lack of response seemed to be all of the confirmation his son needed, and Roland stepped back in horror. Robin guessed that because he was such a young age when the curse hit, he would have had trouble realising which memories were real and which weren't.

"Where's mom?" Henry asked, a strangled tightness to his tone.

"She's asleep. Please, Henry, just leave her be for a little while." Henry nodded at his step-father's request, and looked sadly over at Giselle, gesturing her to come closer to him. The redhead stepped into his embrace with ease, and Robin cleared his throat before speaking gruffly to the girl. "I'm very sorry we're being introduced like this ..." he said, and she shook her head at his words before moving to grip the hand Harrison wasn't clutching to.

"I am so, so, very sorry for your loss. I can't even ..." tears shone in her eyes, and Robin squeezed her hand back, grateful for her understanding. He looked back at Henry and then down at Harrison. His little lad's eyes were full of a confusion that Robin had absolutely no desire to rectify. It was as though the second he told Harrison what had happened, it would be real.

"Go with your brother, buddy. I have to talk to Roland, and then I promise I'll come and tuck you in, okay?"

Harrison looked as though he was about to protest, but Henry pulled his little brother up into his arms, and before he could say anything, he carried the youngest Locksley back up the stairs while Giselle followed closely behind. There was a not-so-small part of Robin that hoped Henry would tell Harrison so that he wouldn't have to. It was wrong on so many levels, and he wasn't usually such a coward about things, but the idea of telling his boy that their family was no longer whole was something that made Robin's skin crawl. The atmosphere that had filled the room moments before had died down just slightly, and he scanned the room for his son, but Roland was nowhere to be seen. Little John, sensing his friend's intentions, informed Robin that his son had stepped outside for some air.

When the cool night air hit his lungs as he shut the front door behind him, Robin stopped for a second. The grief kept coming in waves, each time threatening to drag him down and suffocate him until he could no longer breathe, but as he filled his lungs and closed his eyes, he managed once more to keep the emotions simmering in his heart at bay.

He could fall apart later, once he'd taken care of his family.

Roland was sitting on the wall that separated their garden hedges from the sidewalk, looking down into his hands with his shoulders drooped low. Robin stuffed his hands in his pockets as he made his way over to join his son, and wordlessly took a seat beside him. Roland was quietly crying, and Robin slapped a hand to his sons shoulder and gripped it tightly. Neither father nor son spoke for a few minutes, both just taking comfort in the other's presence. Robin looked up at the clear black sky. The stars were out in full force tonight, not even the lights of the town could keep them at bay. They looked like twinkling christmas lights; and his heart squeezed itself. Meredith loved looking at the stars when she was a little girl.

"I was so pissed off at her for running off because it meant I had to go and get Henry," Roland said eventually.

"Don't do that to yourself, she wouldn't want you to," Robin replied, finally looking over at his first born. Roland looked less like a man and more like the little boy he remembered chasing through the trees of the Enchanted Forest. Roland snorted out a laugh, wiping his nose and then his eyes with his hands.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure she'd have milked it for all it was worth. She would have made me feel terrible about it before she said she didn't really care."

Robin chuckled without really finding anything funny. He had a point; knowing Roland's and Meredith's relationship, his daughter most definitely would have done as Roland guessed. "I suppose you're right."

"I can't ... I have all of these memories now, papa, and I don't know which ones are real and which ones aren't." Roland looked into his father's eyes, not bothering to hide the tears that brimmed there. "Henry said ... he said that Meredith ..." he started, but he couldn't seem to find the words he wanted. Robin stayed silent, waiting for the question he was sure was about to come. Henry had obviously filled him in on everything he could remember on the way here. Roland took a deep breath. "Did Meredith kill my mom?"

"No," he assured Roland, moving his hand from his shoulder and draping one arm around his neck. He pulled Roland closer to him with ease until his cheek rested on his sons head. "She didn't mean to. Her magic over powered her, and she didn't know your mother was still outside when it happened. Regina tried to protect her, but your mother hit her head quite severely. It was an accident, Roland."

"I don't understand, though. Why not just let me know that? If it was an accident, why did mom make us think that my mother died of illness?"

Robin sighed heavily. "Because she replaced everyone's memories of Meredith with herself, and she didn't want you to think that she was responsible for Marian's death. She didn't know if we could have forgiven her if we thought that."

Roland nodded, and neither spoke another word on the subject. After a short while, Robin released his son from his embrace and stood, his knees groaning from the cold and their singular position. He stretched his back and grimaced as it cricked, and mentally prepared himself to go back inside his house. Roland informed him that he wished to stay outside for a little longer, but that he would be in shortly to help Little John begin a grid search to find Meredith's body.

"Dad?" Roland called as he made his way up the path to the house. He turned to see his son looking grim. "I crashed the truck."

All Robin could do was nod.

* * *

Henry left Giselle holding his little brother while he cried. He knew Robin would have been grateful for taking the burden of breaking the news to Harrison off of him, and while he realised he should do the right thing and stay with the little tyke, the itching he felt to go and check on his mother proved too great. Giselle promised to stay with him, and soothed Harrison's tears with gentle strokes of his hair and kisses to his forehead while she sat back on his bed and held his head to her chest.

Henry move through the darkness of the hallway, his body protesting from its early abuse in the crash, quietly stopping just short of his mom and Robin's room. The door wasn't fully shut, and as he peered in gingerly, the light from the moon that shone through the windows - the curtains weren't drawn - gave Henry an outline of her silhouette. His mother was curled up on Robin's side of the bed, her face pressed into his pillow, which was now completely ruined with black marks of makeup and tears, and clutching the duvet under her body up to her chest. Even in sleep, her body looked tense. She was wearing her coat, and no shoes, which Henry briefly frowned at as he pushed the door fully open and moved to kneel down in front of her. Carefully and without word, he moved his hand up to stroke her hair away from her face and glided the pad of his thumb across her cheek. It took a few moments, but when she stirred, she did so quickly.

Regina fluttered her eyes open and was graced with her son's face staring back at her, smiling very sadly.

"Hi, mom," he whispered from his position by her bed.

Henry felt sorrow claw at his heart when she sat up slightly to stare at him, and watched as she reached forward to turn the lamp on her bedside table on. It was as though she thought she was dreaming. "Henry?"

"I'm here," he said, and her face crumpled. Regina launched herself into her son's arms with a force that would have knocked Henry off of his feet had he not been prepared for it, had he not wanted to embrace as much as she did, and he pulled back just slightly to give himself enough room to move up and sit next to her on the bed. He held her in his strong arms while she cried; arms that still baffled Regina that he was even old enough to have, and didn't say a word while she buried her face deep into the crook of his neck.

It was only in that moment, as she breathed him in, did Regina realise just how much she had missed her son, and for a second she wasn't sure if she was crying because he was there or because her daughter wasn't. They stayed wordlessly wrapped in each other's embrace for a while before Henry pulled back and coaxed her out of her coat. She had completely forgotten she was wearing it, and was about to lay back down when Henry told her, upon her questions, that Robin was outside with Roland, and she immediately sat back up. Shame washed over her. She had three other children that needed to be cared for, but she'd been so overwhelmed by the loss of Meredith that they had all but escaped her mind. Henry pushed her back down.

"I should go and check on Roland, on Harrison, they-"

"They're okay. Roland is a big boy, mom, he'll understand. And Giselle is with Harrison."

She wiped her eyes then pressed her fingers to her forehead with a sigh. "I forgot you were bringing Giselle, I'm sorry."

'Stop apologising, she understands. You can meet her only when you're good and ready."

Regina stared at her son, wondering just when exactly he had ceased to be a boy and turned into a man. She reached forward and caressed his face. "What would I do without you?"

Henry pulled her hand away and held it in his own, feeling increasingly worried at the hollowness in her eyes. "You'll never have to find out; I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

She was pulled back to the world with a start.

Her lungs filled with air so fast she gulped inward audibly, and her eyes snapped open to stare at the trees standing tall above her. Meredith rolled over as she coughed and spluttered, dirt and leaves from the forest floor meeting her mouth as she tried to get up. Her entire body ached as she chest heaved in and out and she tried to catch her breath, and she rolled back onto her back.

What the hell had happened?

She scrunched her eyes closed, ignoring the ever growing pounding in her head and tried to remember. Jadis ... Jadis had killed her. She opened her eyes with a frown, so how the hell did she end up in the forest, alive, and feeling like she'd been run over by her dads 4x4? She lifted her head to look down at her chest. The wand was no longer wedged in her skin, but instead resting on the floor beside her. Meredith pulled a hand up and pawed through the hole in her clothes where the septa had torn through and felt for her skin. She hissed when her fingers met the wound. It was still bleeding, but the fact that she was no longer unconscious meant it was healing; albeit, slowly.

Her head fell over on the ground with a dull thud, and her skin tightened from the dried blood on her forehead as she looked around with her eyes. In a minute, she would get up, but for now, all she could do was lie there and breathe; take in what had happened and marvel at the fact she was still alive. The snow had disappeared, and the temperature outside had warmed considerably. The Ice Queen was definitely dead. But none of that explained why she was currently lying in the middle of the forest when the last thing she recalled was being in the street outside Granny's. She dared to hope that she was now back in her original timeline. Meredith was sure her fate had been fulfilled; perhaps that was why she was currently in the woods and not still in the town? Maybe it was because she had managed to get _home_. Hope tugged at her heart. The only way she would find out was if she hauled herself up and trekked back home.

After she had forced her body off the floor - each muscle she had protested at being used - Meredith felt more sure she was definitely back in her own timeline. She was standing just at the edge of the clearing that had earlier held the large circle of stones that the witch had sent her back from. Her head was banging, and Meredith could still see spots if she focussed on something for too long; the dizzy feeling was something she was becoming accustomed to, but it still made her feel sick. Her chest ached with every breath as her skin knitted itself back together. Meredith swooped the septa up off the floor and turned it over in her hands.

The magic from it was gone, she could feel that much; but kept hold of the relic anyway as she began her walk back into town.

Anticipation flooded her veins. It drove her forward when ever ache and pain threatened to slow her down. She needed to get home, needed to see her family, needed to apologise to her mother and throw her arms around her father.

Meredith pressed her hand against her chest where the wound was still deep and bleeding, gulping for air as she reached the edge of the forest and was finally met with the town. She limped faster - limped because the boots her mother had got her to wear for Marian's funeral were pinching her feet so uncomfortably more than once she considered kicking them off and walking back in just her socks.

Just get home, she kept saying to herself. Everything would be just fine if she could just get home. Her teeth gritted together and her mother's stubbornness overtook any physical aliments she may have had. She refused to give up, not after she'd come this far. The suburbs of Storybrooke were more or less deserted; Meredith didn't see another person once.

Not until she rounded the top of Mifflin Street, and her eyes fell on her house. Tears sprung to her eyes, and she didn't bother holding back the strangled sob that escaped her throat. She frowned when she saw her dad's truck parked slightly up the road, the front was completely smashed in and the engine was still steaming. The sight was enough to make her pause. What the hell had happened there? Her eyes continued their journey up to the front of her house, and Meredith felt her heart stop.

Roland - _her_ Roland - was sitting on the wall in front of the hedges their mother kept so neatly trimmed, looking down into his hands and as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Never in all of her life had Meredith been so happy so see her stupid big brother, and a new wave of determination rose in her chest.

Finally. She was _home_.

* * *

He should probably go back inside, he thought, but the idea of facing all that grief wasn't something Roland was particularly in a hurry to do. His dad hadn't long made his way back into the house, and Roland knew he needed to suck it up and be there for his family. But it was too hard. The temptation to call Alex and cry down the phone almost got the better of him more than once, but his girlfriend was out having fun, and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin her night, so he had purposefully sat on his cell phone to stop his fingers from dialing her number. He took a deep breath and braced himself for what would happen when they found his baby sisters body, and slowly stood from his seat on the wall.

He was just about to go back inside when a figure in the distance caught his eye. He frowned as it got closer, trying to work out in the dark night who it could be. They were limping, but Roland didn't move from his spot as his eyes adjusted and his heart stopped.

"MOM! DAD!" He shouted, staring in shock as the person continued to make their way down the street. He couldn't move his legs even if he wanted to. The front door swung open, and the whole family tumbled outside at his yells. Robin hurried towards him, and then followed his gaze.

"Meredith?" He breathed, not daring to hope that what he was seeing was real. His little girl couldn't possibly be hurrying towards them all when she had died in his arms eighteen years ago.

"Meredith?" Regina's voice asked, and she pushed her way out of the house, closely followed by Henry, Giselle and Harrison, with bare feet and moved up the path and into the street.

"Mama!" They heard, and Regina let out a cry of disbelief as their daughter got closer.

It was all she needed to break into a run and rush towards Meredith. They collided in the street, both sobbing in each other's arms as they fell to the ground. Regina breathed her in and held the back of Meredith's head before pulling back to check her over as Robin rushed to catch up with her. She was alive, their baby was alive. Robin could barely breathe as he watched his wife and daughter hold each other close in the middle of the street, and relief washed over him like a tsunami that threatened to make him break down.

"Let me see you, are you okay?" She asked in a rushed voice, tears spilling continuously down her face as she ran her hands up and down Meredith's body and then eventually pushed her tank top upwards to get a better look at the wound just beneath her sternum. Meredith fell forward, exhaustion and pain finally over taking her body, and Robin moved to pick her up in one swift motion. "Get her up to bed, I can heal her now." Regina said wiping her tears away and following Robin inside their house, ignoring the number of happy cries and questions that were thrown their way as they went. It was impossible, and yet, here she was, being cradled in Robin's arms and breathing as though it were easy. She was covered in blood and dirt and sweat, her clothes were torn and creased, and she mumbled something about her boots - boots Regina recognised as the long forgotten favourites she used to own.

Regina didn't care what had happened, she didn't care how Meredith had got back here in one piece. She would ask questions later. All that mattered to her in that moment, was that her child, her sweet baby girl, was alive.

* * *

**You didn't really think I'd kill Meredith did you?! **

**THANK YOU for all your reviews! I love them, and I love you!**

******Alright, two chapters left after this. Let's wrap this mutha' up!**


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the kind words, glad you're all relieved Meredith is okay! Now I know the past few chapters have been pretty heart wrenching, so I hope this chapter makes up for it! Be warned, the ending makes this story live up to its M rating. **

**Massive thanks to the ever lovely mysterious-song, who has listened to me fret about this part many a time LOL! **

**Also, to chelsietea; the fact you were worried I may be the next George Martin made me laugh my ass off. Amazing reference, but no, I am NOT that cruel! HAHA!**

* * *

Robin had quite promptly kicked everyone out of their house. All of them had questions; how did she get back? How was she feeling? Did she know how worried they all were? Neal had tried to force his way into her bedroom - after Robin had laid her down on her bed ready for Regina to work her magic - and sit and take care of her. David must have seen anger flare in his eyes at the boy, and quickly ushered his son out of the house along with everyone else. Henry, Giselle, Roland and Harrison were all waiting anxiously downstairs for news of how their sister was doing, and Robin was now leaning against her bedroom door, watching in awe while Regina let light flow from her palms to soothe the nasty welts in Meredith's skin. The wound just beneath her sternum had all but disappeared now, (it had been the very first thing his wife had seen to) and a fresh, shiny, pink layer of skin was left in its wake. Regina slipped off their daughter's (or her, she informed him) boots and hissed at the sight that met them. Robin scrunched his face. Meredith's once-white socks were doused in blood at the toes and heels, and he quickly moved to help his wife ease the thin cotton stuck to Meredith's skin off of her feet. Meredith cried out at the pain of it, and turned her head to press her face into her pillow.

"Just a little more, I'm sorry honey, I know it hurts," Regina said softly. Robin noticed her fingers shake just for a second while she worked her magic. Clearly, the site of what Meredith had gone through was affecting her more then she would ever let on. The skin on her hands and wrists was now almost completely red with their daughter's blood as she moved to check each sore and heal it.

Meredith nodded at her mother's words, tears thick in her eyes while her chin trembled. Robin moved to sit on the bed next to his daughter, his heart swelling when she fell against his chest. He kissed the top of her head, wrapping a strong arm around her shoulders and squeezing her shoulder. "You know, sweetheart, if all this was just to borrow your mother's shoes, you could have just asked." He joked, trying to lighten the mood. Meredith breathed out a chuckle beside him, then cuddled herself further into his chest. Regina smirked, and met his eyes after rolling her own.

"Okay," she said a few minutes later, moving to sit on Meredith's other side and reaching forward to stroke her face. "All done. You should be right as rain come morning."

All Meredith could do was nod, still trembling in her father's arms. Robin met his wife's gaze with concern creeping through his body. "She's shaking, Regina."

"It's probably the shock. She's been through a lot. Now, I hate to be the one to kick you out, but I have to get her cleaned up." She nodded to the dried blood covering the majority of Meredith's skin.

Robin nodded and moved from his position. "Do you want me to run a bath?"

"No, she needs to sleep. I'll do it," replied Regina, not taking her eyes from their child.

So he left them to it. Robin pressed a kiss into Meredith's hair, whispering words of _I love you_, and gave Regina's arm a grateful clutch as he moved past her and made his way back downstairs.

The remainder of his children were huddled together on the sofa in the living room, two large pizza boxes sat at their feet, (he couldn't even recall the door sounding for a delivery boy to arrive, but he was grateful to which ever of his elder sons had taken it upon themselves to feed Harrison). His littlest child was sat in Roland's lap while all three brothers were desperately trying to explain to Giselle the exact differences between a games console and a television. "You control what happens when you play a games console, but not with a TV," Henry said, and Giselle's eyes widened.

"You mean, you tell the people inside the screen what to do?!"

Harrison snickered. "No, silly. They aren't real people!"

"But ... I thought you told me that the people on the TV were actors?" She said, confusion etched on her face as she turned to Henry at a loss.

"They are, but when you play a games console it's all computer generated," Roland started to answer, but stopped when Henry shook his head at his little brother, knowing using words like 'computer generated' would only confuse her more. After all, she hadn't long been in this realm, and a large part of her time had been spent with Henry in New Orleans chasing down yet more characters and magic. Explaining the ins and outs of technology had been the last thing on his mind.

Robin cleared his throat, announcing his presence, all three silenced immediately.

"How's she doing?" Henry asked, standing from his seat next to his red haired beauty.

"She's okay. She'll be okay. Your mother's just cleaning her up now, but I doubt she'll be up to seeing anyone tonight," he told them. Harrison clambered out of Roland's lap and hurried over to his father. Robin couldn't help the warm smile that spread across his face when his youngest son wrapped his arms around his middle and pressed his face into his belly. "I see you got your brother's to order pizza, someone's obviously feeling better," he said, a feigning stern tone to his voice. Henry and Roland sheepishly avoided his eyes as Robin reminded the room that the littlest Locksley had actually been sick earlier that day. Harrison snapped his head up to look at his papa.

"Yup. I had sausage on mine! Can I see mom now?"

He clasped his hands on his sons shoulders. "Not tonight little man, it is way past your bedtime. Say goodnight to your brothers," Robin ordered.

Harrison scowled in a way that was so like Regina, Robin almost laughed. "But I'm not _tired_!" A large yawn came about a second after the words had left his mouth, and the little boy clamped his hand up in a pathetic attempt to stop his dad from seeing. Robin raised his eyebrows.

"Oh really? Well I have to disagree, come on." He crouched and pulled his son up by the wrists, swinging him around so that Harrison could hook onto his back.

"We're coming up to bed now anyway, bud," Roland said, assuring his little brother that he wouldn't be missing out by listening to their dad.

Robin left Henry and the others clearing up the pizza boxes and locking the house down for the night, and clambered up the stairs with his son on his back. He let out a groan when he finally reached the top step; one day he would remember he wasn't as young as he thought he was. When Harrison was tucked up, Robin placed a palm flat on the bed either side of his sons tummy.

The child fidgeted with his hands before mumbling that he wanted his mom to come and say good night. Robin sighed. "Mom's busy making sure Meredith's okay. I'm sure she will come and kiss you goodnight when she's finished, okay?"

Harrison gave him a firm nod, and then yawned once more. Robin chuckled before leaning in to give his son a kiss on the head, turning on his nightlight and leaving his room. He peered down the stairs as he moved towards his and Regina's room, making sure the boys (why he still called them 'the boys' when they were fully grown men was beyond Robin, but he did it anyway), had turned off all the lights.

It was only when he finally sat on the bed heavily did he close his eyes and take a deep breath. The whole day had been an utter nightmare, the very worse of his life, and his head fell into his hands as his mind whirled at all the possibilities of what could have happened if Meredith really had died. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his face, trying to blot out the images his mind was conjuring, and finally succumbed to the emotions that had been gripping his heart from the second he had realised his daughter had run off.

* * *

Regina held her daughter past the point her body had gone numb. She had used her light magic to clean Meredith's body of all the blood, sweat, dirt and tears it held, then helped her change into a fresh pair of pyjama's before tucking her up in bed, and taking the spot next to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Regina asked. Meredith cuddled closer to her mother, feeling less and less like a seventeen year old and more like a toddler.

"Honestly, mama, I just want to sleep," she admitted. Regina squeezed her body closer and pressed a kiss into her - now clean - hair.

"That's okay, we have all the time in the world. We can talk about it tomorrow."

"Won't you be busy with the fundraiser all day?"

Regina pulled back to gape at her daughter. "Are you kidding? I'm canceling the whole thing. I can't host it now, not with what's happened to you."

"What?" Meredith exclaimed, sitting up from her mother's embrace. "Mom, I'm fine. You said yourself I'll be right as rain tomorrow. You can't cancel, you've worked on this for months. It's important to you."

"Nothing in this world is more important to me than you and your brothers, do you understand me?"

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Yes, I understand, but that doesn't mean you have to cancel the party. Everyone will be so disappointed. Please, don't cancel it. I was actually looking forward to this one," she said, causing Regina's eyebrows to raise in surprise.

"You hate my fundraisers. Don't you always tell me they're just a way for me to 'show off my stepford family'?" Regina said, smirking slightly as Meredith reddened in the face.

"Yeah well ... I guess being there, thinking I'd never get to go to one of your stupid parties again, bothered me more than I thought it would. Please, _please_ don't cancel?"

Regina looked at Meredith for a moment, weighing up whether or not to do as her daughter asked or do what she, as a mother, thought was best. But then this whole _thing_ had happened because of her inability to listen and talk to her daughter like the adult she was growing in to. Regina let out a heavy sigh and went against her better judgement, pulling Meredith back into her arms. "Fine. But don't come moaning to me tomorrow night when your feet are bleeding again from the heels you'll have to wear."

Meredith giggled.

She lay with Meredith in her arms, breathing her in and stroking her hair as she fell asleep, lulling against Regina's chest as though she was a tiny child. Regina felt a shudder run through her body for what seemed like the millionth time at even the thought of what could have happened. Her baby could well have died.

Eventually, when she was sure Meredith was flat out and her body had gone stiff from sitting in the exact same position for hours, Regina eased herself out from under the duvet and tucked her daughter back up, pressing a loving kiss to her forehead. She moved to the window to check no one unwanted was lurking outside before placing a hand on the pane, triple checking her protection spell was still in place, and that the locks were tightly shut. She didn't really think the fates would be showing up again, but the spell made her feel better anyway. She left the room silently, and moved to check on her son.

Harrison was lying like a starfish on his bed with his duvet thrown on the floor, and if her day hadn't been so draining Regina would have laughed at the site of him. He had always been able to sleep just as well as Robin had, and she knew nothing that had happened would be troubling his dreams. She moved around his room in silence, pulled the duvet off the floor and tucked it around his little body before pressing a motherly kiss to his forehead and breathing him in.

Henry's room was next, though Regina had to stop herself from entering. That act may have been nought but a habit to her, but the low, hushed tone of voices from the other side of the door reminded her that Henry wasn't just hers anymore. Now he belonged to Giselle as well. The realization that she wouldn't be the one he sought out through times of anguish and sorrow almost broke her, because in Regina's eyes, no matter how old he got, he would always be her first baby. She also had yet to be officially introduced to Giselle, and really wasn't keen on the idea of the girls first impressions of her new mother-in-law being that of a crumpled, blood covered dress and mascara running half way down her face from crying all night. A old rivalry reared its ugly head; Emma probably would have looked a state when she met Giselle a few hours ago ... she would have been crying and still had sea-air hair. The idea that Regina could make herself look utterly perfect when she finally got to meet this girl when Emma wouldn't have done was one that made her smile. Was it petty? Yes. Did she care? Not in the slightest.

She curled her fingers into her palm, stopping herself from knocking and finally moved on to Roland's room. She gave a gentle wrap on the wood before creeping the door open. Her son was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling in complete darkness. Regina sat down on the edge of Roland's bed and tucked her hair behind one ear before letting her hand fall on his. Roland met his mother's gaze with a tired weariness.

"How are you feeling?" Regina asked.

Roland shrugged. "I'm okay. Are you? How is Mere doing?"

"She's asleep, her wounds will have stopped hurting by tomorrow. Look, Roland, I know you must have a lot of questions about what I did ... with the curse ..."

"Dad told me everything that happened." Regina breathed out an _oh_, at her sons words, then braced herself for a cold shoulder or a snappy comment, but neither came, (her son was very much like his father in that sense - very level headed). Roland sighed heavily. "I guess she was always going to die, wasn't she? First she got sick and magic saved her, then she got ... arrested," Regina squirmed at his tactful wording of how she had nearly executed his birth mother, "and Emma brought her through a portal. Magic finally found its way to kill her through Meredith, didn't it?"

She felt her shoulders sag, and squeezed his hand tightly in her own. "I'm so sorry."

A heavy silence fell on the room, but Roland didn't move his hand from under his mother's. It was only when Regina started thumbing circles in his palm absentmindedly did he speak up again. "I'm kind of tired now, think I'm gonna get some sleep."

Regina nodded and slid her hand from his, her palm suddenly feeling cold without her sons warm clutch under it. He had every right to feel upset about the whole situation, she reminded herself as she got up off his bed and moved to the door. His whole world had just been turned upside down with the revelation that actually his little sister had been the root cause of his mother's death. The familiar niggle of self doubt she would only feel with Roland simmered in the pit of her stomach, and she hoped with all her heart this new information wouldn't re-open the old wounds Roland had felt in his early teens. Memories of her son yelling _'I can do what I want, you're not my real mother'_ flooded her mind, and she had to force them back down. He had been a hormonal young boy, and after that particular outburst, Robin had unexpectedly come to her aid and yelled at his son until he was blue in the face. She would try talking to Roland again tomorrow, once they'd all had a good night sleep.

"Mom?" He called, making he pause with her hand on the door handle. She turned to look at him, and suddenly, was no longer looking at the man he had grown up to be. In that instant, all Regina could see was his big, dark eyes searching in the night for her own, just as they had when he was a little boy and she would soothe him after a nightmare, or during a storm. "I know why you cast it, and I just ... you're the best mom I could ever want. You're the _only_ mom I could ever want."

His words made her heart swell with love, and she had to take a deep breath to steady the emotions filling her heart. No more tears, she thought, she had cried enough tonight to last a lifetime, and instead nodded with a warm smile at her child. She whispered words of goodnight, and closed his bedroom door shut with a click.

She passed Meredith's room on her way through the hall, and stuck her head in the door just to double, and triple check that her daughter was okay. She was exactly as Regina had left her, tucked up to the chin in her duvet with her long dark hair sprawled all over her pillow. As she shut the door once more, another shudder of _what if _ran through her. Regina had to swallow the anger towards this witch, this _fate _that almost had her child killed, as it hit her in waves. She was so distracted by her thoughts of the various methods of torture she had in store for this cretin - should she ever actually meet her - she almost walked straight past her own bedroom before catching site of her husband.

Robin was sitting on the edge of their bed with his head in his hands, trying desperately to stifle the sobs that wracked his body. Regina felt her heart break, and it suddenly dawned on her that she had been so distracted by her own blinding agony that she hadn't once thought about the fact he would be feeling exactly the same.

She closed their door and walked towards him quietly before pulling his hands away from his face. Robin made no move to wipe his tears away as Regina climbed into his lap, straddling her legs either side of his. His arms pulled her closer as they wrapped around her waist, pressing their bodies firmly together, and Robin buried his face into her neck. His breath hitched a few times as she slowly rubbed her hand up his back while the other held his head gently.

She didn't know how long they stayed like that.

They pulled away at the same time, and Regina pressed a kiss to his stubbled jaw as she thumbed away the wetness on his cheeks.

"I feel so," he started, shaking his head because he couldn't find the words to finish his sentence.

"I know. Me too," she said, raking her fingers through his hair absentmindedly.

"She's our little girl, Regina. And she almost-"

"I know," she nodded, letting him know she understood exactly how he was feeling.

Silence fell on them for a few more moments as Robin squeezed her waist. She wrapped both arms around his neck and arched her body into his, feeling comfort from his closeness, just as she always did. "I am so sorry about earlier. I should have stayed stronger for you," she whispered quietly, because no matter how many years they had been together, somewhere deep down she was still frightened she would do something to make him leave her.

"You thought your daughter was dead, Regina. You acted no differently to any mother," he said, pulling his head away from the crook of her neck. He looked deep into her eyes and she stared right back.

She gnawed nervously at her bottom lip. "I'm sorry I threatened to damn everyone to hell."

The laugh he let out was completely unexpected. Robin thought she looked like a child who was about to be scolded. "In all honesty I was about to let you."

"Really?" She smiled as he nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips as he removed his arms from her waist and began absentmindedly rubbing his hands the length of her thighs. She sighed into his kiss, finally feeling all the stress of the day leave her body. It would never cease to amaze her, even after eighteen years together, the feel of his fingers against her skin would still make goosebumps raise on her body. She deepened their kiss out of instinct, intuitively knowing he needed something, _anything_, to take his mind off of the past few hours, and sighed into his mouth contently. She wouldn't let it heat, not just yet, and pulled back to rest her forehead against his own before her eyes truly took in his overall appearance. The front of Robin's shirt was nearly covered in their daughter's blood from where he'd carried her to bed; there was redness smeared just under his chin where he had rested his head against Meredith's bloody hair, and there were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. He looked as exhausted as she felt, and guilt niggled at her heart once more; honestly, how could she have been so selfish in her grief earlier? She took pause to look back on the whole night through his eyes; his daughter had died, his wife had ripped out her own heart, one of his sons had nearly started a physical fight with his friend's lad, and the other looked to him for comfort when his mother had abandoned her post. In her meltdown she had given Robin no choice but to take the helm on their children all by himself, all the while having his own grief to deal with. She longed in that moment to tell him just how completely, utterly, madly in love she was with him, but no words she could ever speak would ever do her true feelings justice.

Regina let her hands slide down his chest as his fingers inched just slightly under her dress - not that there was much leg left for the skirt to cover, it had hitched up of its own accord when she'd first moved to straddle his lap. The tips of her own fingers to just past her wrists were covered in as much blood as Robin's shirt was from healing Meredith's wounds, and Regina decided to solve both problems in a way both of them sorely needed.

"Will you come and take a shower with me?" She asked quietly, looking into his eyes before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips and finally climbing off his lap as he nodded.

They didn't say a single word as they undressed. Regina had locked their bedroom door, (Harrison had a nasty habit of barging in unannounced just as the sun came up, and she made Robin fix a lock to the door after their youngest had once swung it wide open and caught them in a _very_ compromising position). She moved to meet her husband in their en-suite and finally tossed their blood stained clothes in the wash hamper. Robin's hands fell on her shoulders when she reached into the shower cubicle to turn on the faucet, and as they waited for the water to heat through, Regina leaned back against his strong physique, humming softly while his fingers began kneading through the knots in her muscles.

They stood for a while, simply enjoying the feel of the others skin while the room filled with steam. It was only when Robin gave her a slight nudge forward did Regina actually step in, and under the shower head, letting her hair dampen and stick to her skin. She closed her eyes as hot water cascaded down her body, soothing her tension and washing away what Regina could easily describe as the worst day of her life. Her husband stepped in behind her not a second later, taking her hands in his and slowly moving his thumbs in circles against her skin. They both watched as the water falling at their feet turned red with the blood coming off their skin. When her arms were finally back to their rightful colour, Regina cupped Robin's face and adjusted it to look at her own. Once his attention was fully on her, she slid her hands down his throat, rubbing his stubble and scratching slightly at his skin in an effort to make sure there was no more evidence of their child's injuries still on his body. His breathing got slightly heavier as her nails raked down his neck; his chin dropped and his eyes closed before she moved her hands back up to push her fingers through his now wet hair.

Robin stepped towards her, snaking his arms around her waist with ease, holding their naked bodies close, and Regina reached up as he bent down for their mouths to meet in the middle. His kiss was needy and forceful; a way, Regina guessed, for him to pour out every emotion he'd felt since the day had began. She didn't care, needed it too, and groaned into him as he tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth, teasing her mouth open for his tongue to dance with her own.

Her back arched, her bodies natural reaction as Robin pressed his hips against hers, letting her feel his erection on her stomach. He moved an arm from her waist, let his hand find her breast and began palming the soft flesh, causing a deep moan to escape her throat. She pulled back from his lips and moved her kisses across his jaw and up to his earlobe; he grunted as she sunk her teeth into the skin there before running her tongue against it, soothing her bite along with the hot water that rained on their bodies. He moved his other arm from her waist and curled his fingers through her wet hair, pulling her mouth back to his, his palm splayed across her ribs before a thumb grazed across her nipple. Shivers ran down her spine from the teasing, and Regina dug her nails into his broad shoulders when he let his hand leave her locks and guide itself down, deep between their bodies. She hooked an ankle behind his calf, hitching her leg up just slightly, giving him better access to the area she longed for his fingers to reach. Her heart pounded in her chest and she pulled back from his mouth to pepper his neck, collarbone, chest, anywhere her face could reach, with wet kisses.

She groaned into his neck, breathing heavy when he moved to pinch her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, rolling and tugging gently, giving her the perfect balance of pain and pleasure that she loved. And god, was this pleasure. It was exactly what she needed, what both of them needed. A private moment to forget the day and completely lose themselves in one another. A familiar heat grew between her thighs, and she sighed heavily.

"Robin," she moaned, sliding her leg further up his and pressing her hips harder against his own.

His fingers found her core without hesitation, and he groaned along with her whimpers as his fingers grazed the small bundle of nerves sitting between her legs and then gently circled her opening._ Tease_, she thought, longing for more than light touches and soft caresses. She moved her own hand down his chest, clawing his skin with her nails before finally taking him in her hand and circling her thumb over the head of his cock, giving him a not so gentle tug. He hissed and let his head drop on her shoulder, and finally pushed two fingers inside. Regina felt her head fall against his, reveling in the feel of his palm pressed against her clit, and bucked her hips while they worked each other. The friction was delicious; it made her knees weaken and her chest heave with every breath. Robin bit into her neck before pressing kisses up to her jaw and finding her mouth once more. She groaned into his mouth as his fingers curled inside of her, his palm rubbing faster and faster as she grazed her nails down his length and moved to roll his balls in her hand. Robin grunted at the touch, and pulled his hand away from her in an instant. She never got the chance to ask just what the hell he thought he was doing, because in one swift movement he reached down to grip her thighs and lifted her from the floor.

Regina wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled her body up so her face was hovering just above his own, splaying her hands under his jaw. She rested her forehead against his, never once taking their eyes from each other as he guided her down onto his length. Her eyes fluttered shut as he filled her, and Robin stepped forward in the cubicle so her back hit the tiles with a wet splat from the shower. Her head fell back against the wall as he moved his hands further up until his nails dug into her rear. She rolled her hips into his, whimpering when he bent down to kiss her breasts, his tongue dancing round one pert nipple before moving closer to suck at the skin. Regina let her nails rake over his scalp, holding his head down while he teased and nibbled at her chest. She arched her back off the wall, pressing his member further into her body and bit down on her lower lip hard before a loud moan escaped her mouth - something they'd both become very adept from living in a house filled with children. Their angle had changed now, and his thrusts became faster, harder, he hit her sweet spot over and over again causing words to fall out of her mouth. _Yes, right there, harder, faster, more; _Regina heard him moan against her chest as she spoke, and she circled her hips to move with his as a red hot tingling burst through her veins. She gripped her thighs tighter around his middle, crying out louder than she intended to as her insides clenched around his cock.

Her orgasm hit in waves, pulsing pleasure through her body and making her limbs shake as he continued thrusting his hips against her own so hard it should have been bruising. He moved closer, propping her upright between the tiles and his body so he could move his hands from her ass to brace himself against the wall. Regina pulled Robin's head back up and moved his mouth to her own, kissing him hard when he finally came, spilling into her with a strangled cry.

She sighed happily into his mouth when they finally stilled, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips as he slid out of her; when her legs finally met the floor they still felt shaky. Regina saw nothing but adoration in his eyes when she looked up, and her heart swelled. They needed that release, needed to be as close to on another as they possibly could be, needed something _good _to happen on this wretched day; and in Regina's books, coming apart in her husbands arms was plenty more then just good. She moved her hands to cup his face, then let out a laugh at the site of her skin.

"My fingers look like prunes," she said, bringing his lips to meet hers once more. He smiled and hummed, wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing her body, lifting her off the floor for good measure as her arms crossed behind his neck. A yawn escaped her mouth, and she dropped her head to the crook of her elbow. Robin smirked.

"Tired?"

She looked up into his eyes and nodded. "Exhausted."

"Well then, m'lady, I do believe it's bedtime."

In no time, she found herself wrapped in Robin's arms in bed, hair dry, skin clean, and a pleasant ache between her thighs. The soft sheets of the duvet felt like silk against her naked body, and she hummed happily before burying her head into her husband's chest. He squeezed her body closer to her own, absentmindedly stroking his fingers up and down her arm and pressing a kiss on the top of her head. His heart was beating softly under her ear, and before she knew it, Regina was lulled into a deep, peaceful sleep.


End file.
